THE  LIFE  OE 
EDWIN  WALLACE  PARKER,  D,D. 


J,  H.  MESSMORE 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


The  Life  of 
Edwin  Wallace  Parker,  D.D. 

Missionary  Bishop  of  Southern  Asia 

FORTY-ONE   YEARS  A   MISSIONARY   IN    INDIA 


By 

J.  H.  Messmore 

With  an  Introduction  by  Bishop  James  M.  Thoburn 


New  York  :  Eaton  &  Mains 
Cincinnati  :  Jennings  &  Rye 


Copyright,  1903,  by 
EATON  &  MAINS. 


PREFACE 


" 


AT  a  representative  meeting  of  missionaries  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India,  held  in  Allaha- 
bad a  few  weeks  after  Bishop  Parker's  death,  it  was 
roposed  that  a  life  of  Bishop  Parker  be  prepared  by 
the  writer  of  this  volume.  It  was  a  task  he  would  not 
have  voluntarily  assumed,  and  often  during  the  prog- 
ress of  the  work  it  would  have  been  abandoned  had 
such  a  course  been  practicable.  Such  as  it  is,  the  work 
is  now  completed.  The  writer  has  had  two  objects  in 
view  :  I.  To  give  a  fairly  intelligible  and  connected  ac- 
count of  the  life  and  work  of  Bishop  Parker;  2.  To 
give  as  much  information  concerning  the  Missions  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India  as  could  prop- 
erly be  associated  with  the  name  of  Bishop  Parker. 
Chapter  V  of  Book  V  has  been  prepared  by  the  Rev. 
J.  W.  Robinson,  of  Lucknow,  who  was  Dr.  Parker's 
colleague  during  his  six  years  of  service  in  Oudh. 
When  the  preparation  of  this  volume  was  first  sug- 
gested it  was  with  the  thought  that  the  book  would  find 
a  place  in  the  Epworth  League  reading  course,  and  in 
this  way  assist  in  the  Epworth  missionary  campaign. 


PREFACE 

Whether  the  book  be  utilized  in  this  way  or  not,  it  is 
not  unreasonable  to  hope  that  its  general  circulation 
in  America  will  increase  public  information  concerning 
Mission  work  in  India,  and  in  some  hearts  at  least  ex- 
cite new  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Church  in  Southern 

Asia. 

4 


CONTENTS 


PAGE. 

INTRODUCTION 9 


I.  Preparation 

Chapter  i .  Birth  and  Boyhood   19 

"        2.  Youth  and  Early  Manhood 25 

"        3.  The  Missionary  Call 40 

"        4.  The  Ship  Boston 49 

II.  First  Term  of  Service— September,  1859- April,  1868 

Chapter  I.  The  India  Mission 56 

"        2.  Bijnor 62 

"        3.  Wesleypore 69 

"        4.  Mountain  Air 84 

"        5.  The  India  Mission  Conference . .  96 

"        6.  The  Moradabad  District 101 

III.  Interlude—  \  868- 1 870 

Chapter  i .  Homeward  Bound 1 24 

"        2.  The  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society 128 

IV.  Second  Term  of  Service— 1871-1882 

Chapter  I.  (letting  Back  to  India 135 

"        2.  Waiting  for  an  Appointment 141 

3.  The  Moradabad  High  School 147 

4.  The  Rohilkhand  District 155 

"        5.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India. 176 


PAGE. 


6  CONTENTS 

V.  Third  Term  of  Service— 1883-1896 

Chapter  I.  A  Missionary's  Holiday I91 

"  2.  Among  the  Lowly 2O° 

3.  A  Workman  Not  Ashamed 213 

"  4.  General  Evangelist  222 

5.  The  Oudh  District 23° 

VI.  Fourth  Term  of  Service— 1897-1900 

Chapter  i.  The  Bareilly  District 24-8 

2.  Light  and  Shade 257 

3.  TheBishop ....271 

VII.  Supplementary 

Chapter  i.  Uncle  Parker 284 

2.  The  Counselor 292 

3.  His  Last  Appointment 29^ 

4.  The  Last  Days..  3°° 

APPENDIX 
INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 3°5 

From  the  Indian  Witness. 

A  Revival — Its  Lessons -.  306 

All  Must  Help 308 

Mr.  Sherburne's  Address — preceded  by  The  Last  Things : 

At  Naini  Tal ;  at  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt 310 

From  the  Vermont  Messenger. 

Tribute  by  a  Fellow-missionary 315 

Official  Utterances 317 

North  India  Conference  Memorial 318 

Memorial  Address 327 

Lines  Written  on  the  Death  of  Bishop  Parker 333 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


BISHOP  E.  W.  PARKER FRONTISPIECE. 

The  Farm  at  St.  Johnsbury Facing  page  20 

Rev.  Edwin  Wallace  Parker  in  1858 Facing  page  50 

Naini  Tal Facing  page  68 

Near  the  Pindari  Glacier Facing  page  92 

The  Moradabad  School  Hall Facing  page  148 

Hindustani  Church,  Lucknow Facing  page  242 

Methodist  Publishing  House,  Lucknow Facing  page  242 

Spring  Cottage,  Naini  Tal Facing  page  280 

Grave  of  Bishop  Parker Facing  page  282 


INTRODUCTION 


THE  great  war  in  India  popularly  known  as  the 
Sepoy  Mutiny  was  one  of  the  most  decisive  events  of 
the  century  which  has  just  closed.  It  belonged  to  In- 
dia, a  remote  region,  and  one  not  often  affected  by  the 
movements  of  the  great  nations  of  the  world,  and  yet  it 
arrested  the  attention  of  both  Europe  and  America  in 
a  peculiar  manner.  Great  issues  were  at  stake  in  the 
struggle,  but  these  were  instinctively  felt  rather  than 
clearly  denned.  It  was  a  struggle  of  two  civilizations, 
of  two  historic  eras,  of  the  old  and  the  new,  of  progress 
and  retrogression.  Perhaps  the  only  persons  who 
clearly  saw  the  real  issue  involved  were  those  whose 
views  were  least  regarded  by  the  leaders  of  that  period. 
In  Europe  and  America,  among  those  whose  profession 
of  the  Christian  name  was  more  than  nominal,  were 
many  who  had  received  a  measure  of  that  promised 
gift  known  as  "vision;"  that  is,  the  power  to  see  God's 
hand  in  the  great  events  which  transpire  in  our  world 
as  well  as  in  the  minor  events  which  pertain  to  indi- 
vidual interests.  Among  this  class  of  Christians  the 
great  tragical  war  in  India  was  instinctively  recognized 
as  a  trumpet  call  to  missionary  duty.  They  did  not  be- 
lieve in  war  any  more  than  they  believed  in  earth- 

9 


INTRODUCTION  % 

• 
quakes,  but  they  recognized  facts,  and  knew  well  that 

out  of  political  chaos  God  can  bring  order  and  peace, 
and  they  were  able  to  perceive  that  one  conspicuous 
result  of  the  war  was  that  the  way  of  the  messenger  of 
peace  had  been  more  fully  prepared  in  India  than  it  had 
ever  been  before.  The  immediate  result  was  a  marked 
revival  of  missionary  interest  in  Europe  and  America, 
and  a  notable  increase  of  missionary  workers,  especially 
in  India. 

Among  the  first  bands  of  new  workers  sent  out  to 
India  in  connection  with  this  movement  was  a  company 
of  six  young  men  representing  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  One  of  these  went  to  the  field  by  way  of  Eng- 
land, while  the  others,  taking  ship  at  Boston,  sailed 
directly  to  Calcutta,  where  they  arrived  August  21, 
1859.  Among  these  was  Edwin  W.  Parker,  a  young 
man  of  twenty-six,  in  perfect  health,  with  a  splendid 
physique,  a  good  practical  education,  an  unqualified 
devotion  to  his  Master's  service,  a  conviction,  never  for 
one  moment  clouded,  that  he  had  been  specially  called 
of  God  for  work  in  India,  and  an  assurance  of  success 
which  was  inseparable  from  his  trust  in  Christ  as  a  per- 
sonal Saviour.  He  was  not  a  man  to  attract  attention 
among  strangers  and  he  cherished  no  ambitious  thought 
of  future  promotion,  but  he  was  preeminently  a  man 
for  the  new  missionary  era  which  was  then  opening, 
and  one  who  could  not  fail  to  make  his  mark  in  the  new 
field  in  which  his  lot  was  to  be  cast. 

First  of  all,  strong  men  always  have  a  ruling  motive 


INTRODUCTION 

in  life,  and,  in  this  case,  our  departed  brother  was  pos- 
sessed of  an  almost  passionate  instinct  which  led  him  to 
give  his  missionary  calling  the  first  place  in  both  his 
heart  and  his  thoughts.  He  was  an  American,  but  he 
belonged  to  India.  He  lived  for  India,  he  sought  in 
every  way  the  welfare  of  her  people,  and  he  believed 
God  had  a  future  in  store  for  her,  a  work  for  her  people 
to  do  among  the  nations.  He  loved  his  calling  with  an 
ardent  but  manly  affection,  and  always  regarded  with 
manifest  impatience  the  old-time  ideal  of  the  foreign 
missionary  as  a  sad  and  lonely  exile,  enduring  sore 
privations,  and  perhaps  living  in  daily  peril  of  his  life. 
Our  brother  was  a  worker.  His  capacity  for  work 
was  indeed  exceptional.  Whether  with  brain  or  muscle, 
his  ability  to  do  solid  work  was  so  exceptional  that  his 
Hindustani  brethren  were  wont  to  say  that  no  one 
could  take  him  as  a  model,  because  he  stood  above  and 
beyond  all  ordinary  standards!  But  it  was  not  so  much 
his  conspicuous  power  of  endurance  that  marked  the 
man  as  his  power  of  application.  In  the  pulpit,  in  the 
bazaar,  in  the  schoolroom,  in  long  night  journeys  over 
rough  roads,  in  chilling  nights  and  burning  days,  in 
close  and  wearisome  study,  in  constant  correspondence 
with  all  manner  of  people,  in  building  and  repairing  all 
manner  of  structures,  in  carrying  on  his  heart  the  cares 
and  sorrows — and  sometimes  the  sins — of  hundreds, 
if  not  thousands,  of  persons  in  whom  he  felt  a  personal 
interest,  in  managing  finances  in  which  deficits  were 

nearly  always  inevitable,  and,  finally,  in  that  most  diffi- 

ii 


INTRODUCTION 

cult  task,  in  holding  through  long  years  a  post  in 
which  he  was  to  bear  rule  and  yet  be  the  servant  of  all, 
our  brother  very  seldom  showed  signs  of  weariness, 
and  perhaps  never  complained  that  his  burdens  were 
too  heavy.  It  is  possible  that  he  did  not  sufficiently 
conserve  his  strength,  but  it  is  certainly  worth  some- 
thing, in  these  days  in  which  activity  is  so  often  mis- 
taken for  work,  to  see  so  conspicuous  an  illustration  of 
the  value  of  downright,  unmistakable  application  to 
personal  work. 

Our  brother  possessed  the  gift  of  leadership,  a  gift 
sorely  needed  in  all  the  great  mission  fields  of  the  world 
to-day.  Position  and  authority  do  not  by  any  means 
confer  the  gift  of  leadership  upon  men,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, too  often  serve  to  make  its  absence  conspicuous. 
In  all  great  movements  which  require  united  effort  the 
presence  of  leaders  becomes  a  necessity,  and  this  rule  is 
nowhere  more  apparent  than  in  the  great  mission  fields 
of  modern  times.  But  the  missionary  leader  must  be 
a  man  of  action,  who  goes  forth  with  his  brethren  into 
the  open  field,  and  who  knows  from  personal  experience 
the  nature  of  the  work  to  be  done  and  the  best  means  to 
be  employed  in  accomplishing  it.  Bishop  Parker  was  • 
a  conspicuous  illustration  of  this  kind  of  leadership. 
He  knew  the  work,  for  he  had  borne  a  part  in  nearly 
every  kind  of  missionary  work  which  had  been  at- 
tempted in  North  India.  He  knew  the  workers,  for  a 
large  majority  of  the  preachers  and  exhorters  with 
whom  he  had  worked  carried  credentials  which  con- 

12 


INTRODUCTION 

tained  his  signature.  He  had  been  personally  engaged 
in  preaching  on  mountain  and  plain,  in  mud  chapels 
and  city  churches,  in  great  melas  and  noisy  bazaars,  in 
quiet  mohullas  and  remote  villages,  at  early  dawn  and 
by  evening  starlight,  to  audiences  which  represented 
every  class  of  the  Indian  people.  He  had  taught  in 
mission  schools,  had  superintended  the  mission  press, 
had  edited  a  paper,  had  superintended  industrial  work, 
had  personally  done  heroic  work  in  trying  to  plant  a 
Christian  colony  in  Oudh,  and,  in  short,  had  by  per- 
sonal service  acquired  a  knowledge  both  of  work  and 
workers  which  admirably  fitted  him  for  the  leadership 
which  his  brethren  so  instinctively  recognized. 

Our  brother  was  a  practical  man,  and  in  nothing  was 
this  more  apparent  than  in  his  missionary  plans  and 
missionary  labors.  He  did  not  believe  for  one  moment 
that  he  had  been  called  to  labor  in  vain  or  spend  his 
strength  for  naught.  He  believed  that  God  had  given 
him  a  specific  call  to  India  to  preach  a  living  message 
to  a  perishing  people,  and  that  a  faithful  proclamation 
of  this  message  would  not  and  could  not  be  in  vain. 
Hence  all  his  plans  and  purposes  were  of  a  practical 
'nature.  He  expected  God's  work,  if  faithfully  exe- 
cuted, to  abide,  and  he  believed  that,  though  the  messen- 
ger of  Christ  must  often  exercise  the  virtue  of  patience 
while  waiting  to  see  the  fruit  of  his  toil,  yet  he  should 
never  cease  to  expect  the  fruit,  assured  as  it  was  by  the 
divine  promise.  He  lived  not  only  in  hope,  but  in  the 

assurance  that  God  would  openly  put  his  seal  upon  the 

13 


INTRODUCTION 

efforts  which  his  servants  were  putting  forth  in  Christ's 
name,  and  he  lived  to  see  his  faith  abundantly  rewarded 
through  many  long  years  of  missionary  prosperity. 

The  hearty  acceptance  of  the  Saviour's  commission 
as  a  straightforward  letter  of  instructions,  as  an  assign- 
ment to  a  specific  line  of  work,  plain  to  the  understand- 
ing and  definite  in  the  results  promised,  has  a  tendency 
to  make  men  practical  in  all  their  plans  and  direct  in 
all  their  methods.  Such  men  are  the  last  to  be  betrayed 
into  an  activity  which  exhausts  itself  in  "beating  the 
air."  They  recognize  the  common  sense  of  the  apostle's 
advice,  "So  run  that  ye  may  attain."  In  other  words, 
the  Christian  worker  has  a  definite  object  set  before 
him,  and  of  all  men  he  should  be  the  last  to  assume  that 
the  inevitable  result  of  his  best  efforts  must  be  a  painful 
failure  to  achieve  the  object  in  view.  A  measure  of 
seeming  failure  may  attend  his  efforts,  but  the  main 
object,  the  actual  end  to  be  achieved,  should  ever  be 
regarded  as  an  assured  event,  more  certain  than  the 
rising  of  the  morrow's  sun. 

Bishop  Parker,  while  ever  cherishing  a  feeling  of 
profound  reverence,  and  also  a  kindred  feeling  of  self- 
distrust,  never  hesitated  in  accepting  the  fact  that  under  * 
the  present  dispensation,  both  in  the  material  and  the 
spiritual  realm,  man's  success  depends  upon  his  co- 
operating with  hidden  forces  with  which  God  has 
brought  him  into  touch.  Hence  the  practical  bent  of 
his  character  made  him  a  practical  worker.  He  used 

"means"  not  because  he  lacked  dependence  upon  God, 

14 


INTRODUCTION 

but  because  he  heeded  the  inspired  reminder  that  he  was 
a  "coworker"  with  God.  He  did  not  expect  a  great 
revival  in  the  absence  of  preparation  for  it.  He  be- 
lieved in  the  use  of  means,  but  of  appropriate  means. 
His  work,  his  preaching  and  teaching,  his  methods  and 
policies,  his  administration  and  leadership,  were  all  and 
always  of  a  practical  cast,  and  pointed  directly  to  some 
profitable  result. 

Our  brother  was  a  man  of  broad  views  and  progres- 
sive sympathies.  His  world  was  a  wide  one,  his  heart 
was  big  enough  to  make  room  for  all  nations,  and  his 
vision  was  clear  enough  to  penetrate  beyond  his  own 
local  horizon.  The  term  "broad"  is  sometimes  applied 
in  a  loose  way  to  vague  or  speculative  opinions  in  refer- 
ence to  religious  truth,  but  there  was  nothing  of  this 
kind  in  our  brother's  character.  The  essential  truths 
of  the  Gospel  which  he  preached  were  to  his  mind  firm 
and  immovable  as  the  great  mountains,  but  his  view 
of  these  truths  was  not  a  narrow  one.  His  gospel  was 
one  of  hope  and  love,  and  his  vision  brought  into  view 
a  brightening  horizon  for  all  nations.  He  was  tolerant, 
and  more  than  tolerant,  to  those  who  were  less  hopeful, 
but  in  his  later  years  he  often  expressed  his  regret  that 
so  many  missionaries  were  tempted  to  contract  their 
horizon  and  regard  the  missionary  movement  as  one 
which  had  but  a  limited  future. 

It  is  possible — indeed,  I  had  almost  said  easy — for 
good  men  who  have  long  been  isolated  from  the  active 
influences  of  the  outside  Christian  world  to  lose  their 

15 


INTRODUCTION 

interest  in  distant  events  and  to  fail  to  perceive  that 
our  world  is  one  whole,  that,  each  nation  is  a  member 
of  one  great  family,  that  one  nation  cannot  suffer  with- 
out all  suffering  in  some  measure,  that  the  blessing 
of  one  is  the  blessing  of  all,  and  the  affliction  of  one  the 
affliction  of  all.  Such,  however,  is  not  apt  to  be  the 
mistake  of  a  missionary  who  has  been  anointed  for  his 
service,  and  who  shares  in  constant  measure  the  love  of 
Him  who  is  no  more  the  respecter  of  nations  than  of 
persons.  A  heart  filled  with  the  love  of  Christ  must  in 
a  measure  stimulate  the  mind  and  enlighten  the  vision 
of  its  possessor.  The  missionary,  of  all  men,  should 
carefully  note  God's  dealings  with  the  nations.  The 
study  of  history  has  its  value,  but  the  study  of  current 
events  is  even  more  important.  In  these  extraordinary 
times  men  make  more  history  in  a  year  than  those  of 
the  Middle  Ages  did  in  a  century. 

Our  brother  was  preeminently  a  man  for  the  times 
in  which  he  lived.  He  came  to  India  at  the  opening  of 
a  new  missionary  era.  He  went  as  a  pioneer  to  a  new 
field.  He  was  to  spend  his  life  among  new  converts 
and  take  a  leading  part  in  providing  the  organization 
which  a  large  and  rapidly  growing  body  of  untaught 
Christians  needed.  For  the  peculiar  duties  which  such 
a  position  imposed  upon  him  he  was  specially  fitted. 
His  sagacity  was  exceptional,  and  at  times  seemed  to 
amount  to  a  spiritual  gift.  Every  successful  mission- 
ary is  familiar  with  the  bewildering  perplexity  which 

must  be  encountered  when  a  serious  problem  is  sud- 

ib 


INTRODUCTION 

clenly  thrust  to  the  front  and  the  circumstances  are  such 
that  it  can  neither  be  evaded  nor  postponed.  For  such 
emergencies,  whether  in  legislation  or  administration, 
our  brother  seemed  peculiarly  fitted.  In  shaping  the 
organization  of  the  new  mission  and  in  the  administra- 
tion of  its  affairs  he  bore  a  leading  part,  and  when  it 
fell  to  his  lot  to  represent  his  brethren  in  the  highest 
council  of  his  Church  in  the  home  land  he  left  a  marked 
impression  upon  the  legislation  of  that  body,  more 
marked,  indeed,  than  was  perceived  by  any  one  at  the 
time. 

After  forty-one  years  of  faithful  and  successful 
service  our  brother  received  from  the  Church  which  he 
had  so  long  represented  in  a  foreign  land  the  highest 
mark  of  confidence  which  a  faithful  missionary  could 
receive  at  her  hands.  By  the  largest  vote  ever  cast  in 
the  General  Conference  for  an  episcopal  candidate  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  Missionary  Bishop,  and  in 
due  time  returned  to  the  country  of  his  adoption  and 
entered  upon  its  duties.  He  was  no  longer  young,  but 
it  was  hoped,  confidently  expected,  indeed,  that  he 
would  live  long  enough  to  render  the  most  valuable 
service  of  his  life  in  a  field  with  which  he  had  become  so 
familiar.  But  it  was  not  so  to  be.  His  work  on  earth 
was  done.  He  was  needed,  no  doubt,  for  higher  serv- 
ice. It  is  more,  much  more,  than  a  fancy  to  suppose 
that  service  in  this  world  is  but  a  training  for  higher 
service  in  the  world  of  everlasting  light.  For  one,  I  do 
not  hesitate  to  regard  the  vision  which  our  brother  saw 

(2)  17 


INTRODUCTION 

in  the  early  part  of  his  illness  as  a  message  sent  from 
God,  not  for  the  sufferer's  sake  alone,  but  for  the  in- 
struction as  well  as  comfort  of  those  of  us  who  remain 
in  the  lower  vineyard.  We  have  long  been  prone  to 
think  of  heaven  as  afar  off,  and  having  no  more  connec- 
tion with  earthly  interests  than  one  of  the  fixed  stars. 
We  are  not  so  taught  in  the  New  Testament.  When 
we  draw  near  to  God  we  join  not  only  the  angelic  host, 
but  "the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect."  Our 
brother  has  passed  on  before,  and  yet  he  is  one  with  us 
still.  He  laid  down  the  task  of  earth,  but  he  did  so  to 
resume  it  in  heaven. 

It  is  fitting  that  the  life  and  work  of  such  a  man  as 
Edwin  W.  Parker  should  have  a  permanent  record  in 
the  annals  of  missionary  work  in  India.  Such  a  record 
is  due  to  the  memory  of  the  man,  but  it  is  still  more 
due  to  those  who  are  to  follow  him.  His  life  was  one 
from  which  much  can  be  learned,  and  for  long  years  to 
come  as  the  record  is  studied  it  will  be  realized  that 
"he,  being  dead,  yet  speaketh."  The  task  of  recording 
the  story  has  been  committed  into  capable  hands,  and 
I  doubt  not  the  memoir  will  take  its  place  among  the 
permanent  missionary  literature  of  Methodism. 

J.  M.  THOBURN. 

Kingston,  Ohio,  January  17,  1902. 

18 


THE 
LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


L    PREPARATION 

CHAPTER  I. — BIRTH  AND  BOYHOOD 

EDWIN  WALLACE  PARKER,  son  of  Quincy  B.  Parker 
and  Electa  McGaffy,  was  born  at  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt., 
January  21,  1833.  Quincy  B.  Parker,  son  of  Nathan 
Parker,  was  born  in  Lyndon,  Vt.,  September  27,  1800. 
Nathan  Parker  had  migrated  from  Massachusetts  and 
settled  in  Vermont  near  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. Nathan  and  Quincy  B.  Parker  were  farmers, 
cultivating  their  own  land,  and  lived  the  industrious, 
simple,  self-denying  yet  not  unprosperous  lives  of  New 
England  farmers  in  those  early  times. 

After  his  marriage,  in  February,  1827,  Quincy  B. 
Parker  moved  to  St.  Johnsbury  and  began  life  on  a 
farm  four  miles  from  St.  Johnsbury  Center.  They 
lived  at  first  in  a  log  house,  as  the  country  was  new, 
and  in  that  house  their  first  three  children  were  born, 
Edwin  Wallace  being  the  third.  In  the  year  1835  the 
comfortable  brick  house  was  built  which  was  Edwin's 
home  during  his  childhood  and  youth.  The  name  of 
Bishop  Parker's  mother  and  his  own  name,  Wallace, 

indicate  a  Scotch  strain  in  the  family  stock. 

19 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

The  Parker  farmhouse  was  a  "Methodist  hotel"  and 
a  Methodist  preaching  place.  The  father  was  a  quiet, 
strong  man,  decidedly  religious;  the  mother  was,  how- 
ever, the  leader  of  the  two,  and  from  his  mother  her  son 
evidently  inherited  those  qualities  which  made  him  a 
natural  leader  and  gained  for  him  a  prominent  place  in 
the  Church.  While,  like  Paul,  he  could  say,  "By  the 
grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am,"  he  always  acknowl- 
edged his  great  indebtedness  to  his  parents  for  their 
holy  example  and  Christian  counsel.  In  and  through 
them  the  grace  of  God  was  brought  nigh  unto  himself. 
He  was  never  heard  boasting  of  his  parentage,  but 
nearly  every  page  of  his  private  journal  shows  that  his 
whole  life  was  brightened  with  filial  love  and  gratitude. 

Bishop  Parker's  earthly  life  illustrates  and  confirms 
the  truth  of  the  remark  that  "the  boy  is  father  of  the 
man."  Not  by  accident  was  he  the  man  his  life  showed 
him  to  be.  The  home  from  which  he  came  and  the 
training  which  he  received  in  that  home  largely  helped 
make  him  the  stanch,  true,  faithful,  and  helpful  man  he 
was.  Recollections  of  his  early  home  life,  written  long 
ago  by  Mr.  Parker  himself,  are  fortunately  available 
for  use  in  this  memoir.  The  following  extracts  will  be 
read  with  interest  by  those  who  knew  the  man  who 
wrote  them,  and  they  are  of  especial  value  as  giving  a 
natural  and  simple  account  of  life  on  a  New  England 
farm  seventy  years  ago: 

My  first  recollections  are  of  a  good  home  with  kind 
and  affectionate  parents  and  two  loving  sisters  and  one 
little  brother.  Among  my  earliest  recollections  are  the 
family  altar  and  the  prayers  offered  there,  which  made 
a  deep  impression  upon  my  mind  and  taught  me  things 
never  to  be  forgotten.  I  never  can  be  thankful  enough 

20 


BIRTH  AND  BOYHOOD 

that  I  was  taught  early  the  things  of  God ;  and  as  soon 
as  I  knew  anything  I  knew  there  was  a  God  and  a 
heaven  and  a  hell.  I  knew  also  that  I  was  free  to 
choose  whether  I  would  go  to  the  heaven  or  be  driven  to 
the  hell.  I  have  been  told  by  my  oldest  sister  that  when 
very  small  I  was  much  inclined  to  be  preaching  and 
praying ;  and  once  when  our  hired  man  laughed  at  me  I 
told  him  he  would  go  to  hell  and  be  damned.  I  remem- 
ber how  my  mother  used  to  teach  me  to  be  good  and  to 
pray  to  God  to  make  me  a  good  boy. 

The  theory  that  it  is  unfair  to  a  child  to  give  him 
religious  instruction  before  he  is  old  enough  to  inquire 
for  himself  into  the  foundations  of  faith  evidently  was 
not  followed  in  the  Parker  home.  Parents,  themselves 
knowing  what  is  truth,  and  believing  it  as  they  believe 
in  the  reality  of  their  own  existence,  have  an  indispu- 
table right  to  give  their  children  the  fullest  possible 
benefit  of  their  own  knowledge  and  experience.  They 
have  a  natural  and  moral  right  to  improve  to  the  fullest 
extent  the  peculiar  opportunity  given  them  of  impress- 
ing their  own  most  sacred  religious  and  moral  convic- 
tions and  ideas  upon  their  children's  hearts  and  minds. 
They  have  the  opportunity  of  making  impressions 
which  are  simply  indelible.  And  it  is  a  discouraging 
fact  that  Christian  parents  in  the  twentieth  century  so 
often  fail  to  utilize  this  opportunity,  allowing  others  to 
impress  their  moral  and  religious  convictions  upon  the 
understanding  and  conscience  of  the  children.  In  this 
respect  people  acted  more  wisely  a  hundred  years  ago. 
The  "recollections"  continue : 

As  I  was  the  oldest  boy  I  was  put  forward  in  almost 
every  way.  I  was  sent  to  school  when  only  three  years 
of  age,  although  the  schoolhouse  was  one  mile  and  a 
quarter  from  home.  I  think  that,  like  most  children,  T 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

was  roguish  at  school.  I  remember  one  day  the  teacher 
gave  me  a  seat  at  her  desk  to  keep  me  still.  During  the 
afternoon  she  took  from  one  of  the  scholars  a  large 
shell  and  laid  it  on  the  shelf  of  her  desk.  I  in  some  way 
managed  to  get  it  into  my  pocket,  thinking,  I  suppose, 
to  carry  it  home.  At  the  close  of  school  the  teacher 
called  for  the  shell,  to  give  it  back  to  the  owner.  But 
no  one  had  seen  it.  It  was  soon  discovered,  as  it  was 
so  large  it  could  be  seen  in  my  little  pocket  from  any 
part  of  the  room.  I  think  shame  for  that  cured  me  en- 
tirely of  ever  trying  to  take  things — at  school  or  any- 
where else. 

As  soon  as  I  was  large  enough  I  was  taught  to  do 
certain  kinds  of  work,  especially  taking  care  of  horses. 
As  soon  as  I  could  hold  the  halter  I  led  the  horses  to 
water,  and  also  learned  to  drive  at  the  plow,  and  could 
drive  for  a  little  while  at  a  time.  Thus  when  very 
young  I  learned  to  work.  When  I  was  seven  years  old 
I  began  to  stay  at  home  from  school  to  help  in  "hay- 
ing," and  at  this  age  I  could  ride  horseback  as  fast  as 
any  horse  could  go  and  could  drive  a  span  of  horses 
about  almost  anywhere.  When  I  was  eight  years  of 
age  I  was  driving  the  horses  for  my  uncle,  who  was 
plowing  a  plot  of  newly  cleared  land  on  our  farm. 
While  plowing  we  came  to  a  log  lying  across  our  way, 
and  in  order  to  turn  it  around  I  was  set  to  hold  one  end 
while  my  uncle  rolled  around  the  other.  Not  being  able 
to  hold  it,  I  ran  before  it  and,  falling  down,  it  rolled 
over  me  completely.  The  log  was  eighteen  feet  long 
and  nearly  two  feet  through,  and  would  have  crushed 
me  in  a  moment  had  I  not  providentially  fallen  into  a 
little  hollow,  and  so  I  was  not  badly  hurt,  though  my 
head  was  bruised  and  one  knee  injured.  God's  watch- 
ful eye  was  over  me  there  or  I  would  surely  have  been 
killed. 

The  winter  following  this  incident  the  boy's  mother 
died,  after  four  years  of  illness.  Shortly  before  her 
death  she  called  him  to  her  bedside  and  talked  to  him 

22 


BIRTH  AND  BOYHOOD 

about  her  death.  "She  told  me  I  had  often  heard  the 
bell  toll,  and  soon  I  would  hear  it  toll  for  mother.  She 
made  me  promise  to  try  and  be  a  good  boy."  In 
course  of  time  Mr.  Parker  married  again  and  the 
family  life  went  on  much  as  before.  Meanwhile  the 
little  boy  was  growing  to  be  a  sturdy  lad.  He  had  three 
months  at  school  each  winter  and  also  a  short  time 
during  summer.  He  made  fair  improvement  in  his 
studies,  but  his  heart  was  on  the  farm. 

My  favorite  employment  was  riding  and  driving 
horses,  and  in  this  I  found,  much  to  do  when  out  of 
school.  In  the  spring  I  did  most  of  the  harrowing  with 
horses  and  driving  to  plow.  During  the  fall  or  first 
part  of  winter  and  also  in  the  spring  I  often  drew  fire- 
wood, father  being  in  the  woods  to  load  and  at  the 
house  a  man,  who  was  chopping  firewood,  to  unload 
the  heavy  logs.  Once,  while  teaming  in  this  way,  I  was 
helping  to  roll  a  large  log  from  the  sled  and,  running 
my  lever  too  far  over,  the  log  struck  it  and  the  other 
end,  in  my  hands,  flew  up  and  struck  me  under  the  chin, 
knocking  me  senseless  for  a  few  moments.  So  well 
had  I  learned  to  manage  horses  at  the  age  of  nine  or 
ten  years  that  I  was  sent  to  do  most  of  the  errands 
about  town  and  on  the  far.m.  Whatever  was  being 
done  I  usually  did  the  driving;  in  this  way  I  learned 
to  love  horses  very  much. 

It  is  not  strange  that  when  this  boy  became  a  mis- 
sionary he  always  managed  to  have  just  the  right  kind 
of  horses;  never  expensive  ones,  but  always  good  ones; 
and  that  he  knew  so  well  how  to  get  good  service  out 
of  these  his  faithful  servants  that,  in  his  innumerable 
journeyings  among  the  towns  and  villages  of  India,  he 
was  able  to  do  an  amount  of  traveling  which  was  im- 
possible for  others.  Dr.  Parker  was  in  no  sense  of  the 

23 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

word  a  "horsey"  man ;  he  kept  his  horses  so  many  years 
that  it  seemed  he  never  bought  a  horse  on  his  own 
account.  But  few  of  his  fellow-missionaries  failed  to 
take  advantage  of  his  wise  counsel  when  buying  horses 
for  themselves.  The  boy  was  father  of  the  man. 

Another  short  extract  closes  the  chapter  of  childhood 
recollections : 

One  thing  I  remember  concerning  my  childhood  is 
that  I  was  always  taught  that  my  parents'  word  was 
law  for  me.  My  father,  although  kind  to  his  children, 
made  them  mind  his  word.  Never  do  I  remember 
speaking  an  irreverent  word  to  my  parents.  I  did  no 
more  dare  do  that  than  put  out  my  right  eye.  And  it 
seemed  perfectly  awful  to  me  to  hear  other  boys  speak 
saucily  to  their  parents.  For  this  I  feel  thankful  now, 
as  I  look  back. 

This  testimony  to  the  force  of  character  possessed  by 
this  boy's  parents  is  very  significant.  Such  a  moral 
atmosphere  was  as  bracing  and  invigorating  to  the 
moral  nature  of  children  reared  therein  as  was  the 
mountain  air  of  New  England  to  their  bodres,  and 
Bishop  Parker's  childhood  surroundings  account  in  a 
large  measure  for  the  man:  Like  Timothy,  the  founda- 
tions of  his  character  rested  upon  early  home  influences 
and  early  acquaintance  with  the  sublime  truths  of  the 

word  of  God. 

24 


YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 


CHAPTER  II. — YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 

BETWEEN  the  placid  waters  of  childhood  and  the 
strong  deep  stream  of  mature  life  there  intervenes  a 
more  or  less  extended  reach  of  broken  water.  There 
are  ripples  and  rapids,  and  sometimes  cataracts.  Here 
and  there  are  eddies,  as  though  the  stream  were  in 
doubt  which  way  to  take.  Sometimes  there  are  stag- 
nant pools  which  threaten  to  pollute  its  remaining 
course.  It  is  not  necessarily  a  dangerous  period,  but  it 
always  is  critical.  Few  pass  through  it  with  entire 
safety.  But,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  Edwin  W. 
Parker  was  singularly  fortunate  in  this  respect.  His 
obedient,  industrious,  joyous  childhood  imperceptibly 
changed  to  obedient,  industrious,  ambitious  youth.  The 
change  was  almost  unnoticed;  and  as  the  years 
went  on,  and  the  youth  became  a  man,  there  was  no 
break  in  the  uniformity  of  his  life.  Apart  from  occa- 
sional expressions  of  regret  that  he  did  not  apply  him- 
self to  his  studies  more  diligently  while  a  lad  at  school, 
his  journal  contains  no  lamentations  over  misspent 
years  or  neglected  opportunities.  In  body,  mind,  and 
heart  he  grew  up  whole  and  sound.  There  were  no 
scars ;  no  wounds  healed  for  the  time  but  liable  to  dis- 
close some  weakness  in  the  future. 

From  his  twelfth  to  his  seventeenth  year  he  lived  at 
home,  working  on  the  farm  and  generally,  not  always, 
getting  three  months  at  the  district  school  in  the  winter. 
But  there  was  little  in  that  school  to  stimulate  lads  to 
study,  and  Edwin  evidently  cared  more  for  athletic 

sports  and  farm  life  than  for  books.     Still  he  made 

25 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

some  progress  in  his  studies,  and  in  the  winter  of  his 
seventeenth  year  he  was  studying  algebra,  history,  and 
German  in  addition  to  the  common  English  branches. 
Concerning  this  period  of  his  life  he  writes : 

During  these  winters,  from  the  time  I  was  thirteen 
until  I  was  seventeen,  I  learned  but  little  when  com- 
pared with  what  I  ought  to  have  learned.  I  was  not 
considered  a  bad  or  idle  boy  at  school,  yet  I  learned 
but  little.  The  spring  of  1850  I  was  a  student  in  St. 
Johnsbnry  Plain  Academy.  My  studies  were  algebra, 
grammar,  and  philosophy.  The  next  spring  also  I  at- 
tended this  academy.  I  enjoyed  these  two  terms  at  the 
academy  very  much,  and  desired  in  my  heart  to  con- 
tinue at  school,  but  could  not  do  so  at  that  time.  This 
was  the  last  of  my  going  to  school  until  after  I  was 
twenty.  During  these  years  my  whole  time,  excepting 
the  three  months  of  winter,  was  spent  on  the  farm,  a 
kind  of  work  I  then  loved  very  much  and  still  do.  I 
spent  the  winters  of  my  eighteenth,  nineteenth,  and 
twentieth  years  working  in  the  "woods,"  chopping  and 
drawing  firewood  and  sawlogs.  It  seemed  to  me  at 
that  time  to  be  very  hard  work,  but  I  found  no  fault 
with  my  lot  although  I  suffered  much  from  the  cold. 
Perhaps  it  was  a  good  discipline  for  me,  as  I  learned 
something  of  the  world  from  association  with  a  class 
of  men  who  were  different  from  my  farm  associates. 
I  often  think  how  much  better  it  would  have  been  for 
me  had  I  known  my  future  work  (as  I  would  have  done 
had  I  been  a  Christian)  and  spent  those  years  at  school 
preparing  myself  for  this  great  work  in  India.  The 
autumn  after  I  was  twenty  years  of  age  I  left  home  to 
attend  school  at  Newbury,  having  bought  my  time,  or 
rather  having  it  given  me;  for  my  father  gave  me 
one  hundred  dollars  and  I  gave  back  twenty-five  dollars 
for  time.  From  this  time  I  was  my  own  "boy." 

In  those  days  a  father  was  supposed  to  have  a  right 

to  the  service  of  his  sons  until  they  were  of  age.  Quincy 

26 


YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 

B.  Parker  evidently  insisted  upon  this  right.  Edwin 
lacked  three  or  four  months  of  being  of  age.  And 
though  the  father  gave  the  son  one  hundred  dollars 
toward  his  education  the  son  paid  the  father  twenty- 
five  dollars  in  lieu  of  his  work  for  the  remaining 
months  of  his  minority.  This  little  business  transaction 
is  a  significant  illustration  of  the  manners  and  strict 
business  ideas  of  the  class  of  people  among  whom  he 
lived.  Frugality,  strict  honesty  in  meeting  all  liabili- 
ties, and  sturdy  independence  in  all  business  matters 
characterized  the  men  of  rural  New  England,  and  Ed- 
win W.  Parker  was  in  these  particulars  a  genuine  son 
of  the  soil.  And  now  let  him  tell  in  his  own  words  why 
he  "bought  his  time"  and  left  his  father's  house  to  at- 
tend Newbury  Seminary: 

During  my  childhood  I  was  often  interested  in  things 
of  religion.  I  was  brought  up  to  attend  Sabbath  school 
and  church  regularly.  Although  we  lived  four  miles 
from  church  there  was  seldom  a  Sunday  throughout 
the  year  when  some  of  us  were  not  at  church.  In  this 
respect  my  parents  were  very  strict.  If  circumstances 
were  such  that  they  could  go  out  for  business  of  any 
kind  they  could  also  go  to  church.  Hence  cold  or  heat 
or  rain  could  not  keep  us  at  home.  In  this  way  as  well 
as  at  the  family  altar  I  was  continually  receiving  im- 
pressions from  God.  Often  was  I  convicted  of  sin  and 
made  to  feel  my  duty,  but  as  often  did  I  resist  the 
Spirit's  influence.  I  remember  that  when  I  was  fifteen 
or  sixteen  years  of  age  I  was  led  to  think  seriously  of 
my  condition,  and  I  then  felt  a  desire  to  be  a  Christian. 
One  evening  at  a  "protracted  meeting"  I  felt  a  desire 
to  go  to  the  "anxious  seat,"  but  the  enemy  told  me  I 
was  too  young,  and  as  no  one  encouraged  me  I  kept 
back.  When  I  was  nineteen  or  twenty  the  Rev.  W.  D. 
Malcolm  came  to  St.  Johnsbury  to  preach.  He  was  a 

27 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

young-  man,  and  his  heart  was  full  of  love  for  souls  and 
his  sermons  made  a  deep  impression  upon  my  mind. 
From  the  time  he  first  came  upon  the  circuit  I  was  con- 
vinced of  sin,  and  each  Sabbath  I  returned  home  from 
church  more  deeply  convicted.  Many  times  did  Mr. 
Malcolm  try  to  talk  with  me,  but  he  never  had  a  chance. 
I  always  evaded  him,  so  that  prior  to  my  conversion  he 
never  spoke  to  me  personally  on  the  subject  of  religion. 
And  yet  many  times  I  felt  that  I  would  give  anything 
to  have  a  talk  with  him  upon  the  subject  which  most 
interested  me. 

During  Mr.  Malcolm's  second  year  at  St.  Johnsbury 
I  was  more  deeply  convicted  than  ever.  While  at  work 
in  the  woods,  many  times  with  only  a  step  between  me 
and  eternity,  I  was  made  to  tremble.  Once  while  roll- 
ing a  log  upon  a  sled  in  a  position  that  a  single  slip  of 
the  foot  would  have  brought  the  log  back  upon  me  and 
killed  me,  the  danger  of  losing  both  worlds  faced  me. 
At  such  times  the  Spirit  of  God  would  call  loudly  to  me 
to  repent  of  sin  and  turn  to  God.  Toward  the  end  of 
this  winter  a  protracted  meeting  was  held  at  St.  Johns- 
bury  Center  and  I  felt  I  ought  to  attend,  but  deter- 
mined not  to  do  so.  And  instead  of  going  to  meeting  I 
went  off  to  Lyndon  to  visit  my  friends.  But  this  time 
the  enemy  was  caught  in  his  own  trap;  for  at  Lyndon 
my  cousins  and  uncles  had  all  become  converted.  It 
was  a  warm  place  for  me,  and  I  became  still  more 
deeply  convicted.  As  I  was  about  starting  for  home 
Saturday  evening  I  entered  my  uncle  Hollis  Parker's 
shop.  He  was  reading  the  Bible;  but  as  I  entered  he 
turned  to  me  and  said : 

"Another  week  has  passed  and  gone, 

Its  days  how  quickly  fled ! 
And  time  is  bearing  us  along 

To  mingle  with  the  dead." 

I  returned  home  and  next  day  attended  church,  when 
Mr.  Malcolm  preached  with  power.  At  noon,  instead  of 
Sabbath  school,  we  had  a  prayer  meeting  and  an  op- 

28 


YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 

portunity  was  given  for  persons  to  rise  for  prayers.  I 
felt  anxious  to  rise,  but  showed  no  such  sign,  apparent- 
ly looking  negligently  on  the  company  to  see  if  any 
arose.  That  afternoon  my  convictions  were  deepened. 
Yet  I  had  not  decided  while  at  church.  I  returned 
home  feeling  deeply,  yet  undecided,  until  toward  even- 
ing as  I  was  taking  care  of  the  horses  at  the  barn, 
while  I  stood  waiting  for  one  to  drink,  I  resolved  to 
become  a  Christian.  I  resolved  to  go  back  to  the  meet- 
ing that  evening  and  arise  for  prayers.  We  went  back 
to  meeting  with  two  horses  and  carried  a  good  load  of 
people ;  that  night  I  gave  myself  to  God.  As  I  entered 
the  church  I  went  and  took  a  seat  with  the  Christians 
instead  of  sitting  down  with  my  young  associates,  and 
thus  evaded  what  was  to  me  a  great  obstacle. 

That  night  I  believe  I  gave  myself  up,  to  a  degree, 
but  I  had  not  yet  learned  that  I  must  follow  the  dictates 
of  the  Spirit.  That  night  at  family  prayers  I  felt  I 
ought  to  pray,  but  neglecting  to  do  so  I  was  kept  longer 
from  entering  into  salvation's  stream  and  being  healed. 
I  felt,  however,  much  better  than  before,  as  I  had  taken 
the  great  step  and  would  in  no  wise  return.  On  Mon- 
day father  and  I  were  at  work  in  the  woods,  far  from 
the  house,  and  it  made  it  hard  for  us  while  at  work  here 
to  attend  meetings,  as  we  used  the  horses  in  our  work 
and  our  house  was  four  miles  from  church.  We  worked 
all  day  Monday  and  had  very  bad  luck.  Tuesday  we 
commenced  again,  but  our  luck  was  still  worse,  and  we 
accomplished  very  little.  We  had  been  at  work  nearly 
all  the  afternoon  and  had  accomplished  nothing,  when 
father  threw  down  his  handspike  and  said,  "We  will 
go  home  and  go  to  meeting  awhile,  and  then  see  if  we 
cannot  have  better  luck."  I  went  to  meeting  that  even- 
ing and  was  blessed.  The  next  day  I  also  attended  and 
received  a  great  blessing.  That  day  at  noon  Brother 
Malcolm  proposed  that  any  who  so  desired  should  stay 
and  pray  and  fast.  A  few  of  us  remained  with  the 
pastor,  and  in  that  little  prayer  meeting  I  offered  my 
first  prayer  in  the  hearing  of  others  and  was  greatly 

29 


blessed ;  and  in  the  evening  meeting  I  was  able  to  testify 
that  my  sins  were  forgiven  and  that  my  soul  was  happy 
in  God.  For  a  few  weeks  we  did  nothing  but  attend 
meetings.  It  was  all  our  work,  and  our  only  work. 

This  account  of  Edwin  W.  Parker's  conversion  is 
taken  from  a  manuscript  yellow  with  age,  written  about 
forty-five  years  ago.  Whatever  attractions  this  archaic 
story  may  have  for  those  inexperienced  in  such  scenes 
as  it  describes,  the  record  is  fragrant  with  suggested 
memories  precious  to  those  who  fifty  years  ago  were 
living  such  lives  and  passing  through  such  experiences 
as  those  herein  described.  The  old,  almost  forgotten 
expressions  have  in  them  the  melody  of  years  long  gone 
by.  The  "protracted  meeting"  and  the  "anxious  seat" 
bring  again  to  mind  rich  experiences.  Meeting  them 
is  like  finding  the  shoes  of  little  feet  that  have  been 
moldering  in  the  grave  for  years.  The  peculiar  refer- 
ence to  "bad  luck"  may  surprise  some  who  have  no 
practical  knowledge  of  the  many  vicissitudes  of  a 
woodman's  day's  work.  The  dangers  and  the  possi- 
bility of  accidents  or  of  less  serious  hindrances  to  work 
through  various  little  happenings  are  almost  as  numer- 
ous in  the  forest  as  at  sea.  A  breaking  chain,  a  slipping 
skid,  an  awkward  movement  of  a  log,  a  stubborn  knot, 
or  a  tool  caught  fast  may  mean  the  loss  of  hours  of 
hard  work.  And  a  natural  explanation  of  the  "bad 
luck"  might  be  given.  Both  father  and  son,  probably 
thinking  of  the  meetings  at  St.  Johnsbury  more  than 
of  their  work  in  the  "woods,"  were  no  doubt  glad  to 
find  an  excuse  for  leaving  it,  that  they  might  go  and 
worship.  It  is  significant  of  the  religious  fiber  of  their 
character  that  these  practical  New  Englanders  dropped 

their  work  for  a  season  and  attended  the  "protracted 

30 


YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 

meeting"  in  the  expectation  that  when  work  was  re- 
sumed the  "luck"  would  change. 

The  young  convert,  however,  soon  found  that  victory 
in  one  conflict  brought  him  to  the  commencement  of 
another.  He  had  settled  one  question  and  was  re- 
joicing in  the  assurance  that  he  was  a  child  of  God  and 
in  the  firm  resolution  to  live  the  life  of  a  Christian.  But 
now  another  question  arose.  Here  is  his  own  story  of 
this  second  conflict : 

As  soon,  or  nearly  as  soon,  as  I  was  converted  I  felt 
that  I  must  leave  the  farm  and  preach  the  Gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God  and  try  to  call  men  to  repentance.  This 
was  impressed  upon  my  mind  and  I  could  not  drive  the 
impression  away.  I  felt  like  one  of  old,  and  like  many 
of  my  brethren,  "Woe  is  unto  me  if  I  preach  not  the 
Gospel."  I  tried  to  rid  myself  of  such  feelings,  as  at 
times  I  felt  I  could  not  do  such  a  work.  I  saw  my  in- 
ability so  clearly.  I,  an  inexperienced  farmer's  boy, 
with  no  education  for  my  work,  how  could  I  do  it? 
And  then,  on  the  other  hand,  I  loved  farming,  and  had 
no  higher  ambition  than  to  be  a  good  farmer.  I  had 
studied  out  improvements  in  farm  building  and  in 
other  things,  and  it  was  hard  for  me  to  give  up  all  my 
long-cherished  plans  and  take  a  very  different  field  of 
labor.  There  was  a  long  and  severe  struggle  in  my 
mind,  which  I  kept  mostly  to  myself.  At  last  I  yielded 
to  the  convictions  of  duty,  which  I  could  not  and  dared 
not  resist,  and  promised  "for  God  to  live  and  die." 
While  these  convictions  were  in  my  own  mind  I  was 
continually  hearing  from  others  that  it  was  generally 
understood  that  I  was  to  be  a  preacher.  This  was  either 
conjecture  or  the  operation  of  God's  Spirit  upon  the 
church  to  lead  them  to  feel  as  I  felt.  When  people 
asked  my  parents  al>out  it  they  always  had  to  say  they 
did  not  know.  These  things  confirmed  me  in  the  belief 
that  my  convictions  of  duty  were  from  God. 

31 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

This  conviction,  that  God  had  called  him  to  be  a 
preacher  and  not  a  farmer,  necessarily  changed  the 
young  man's  plans  for  life.  It  led  him  to  buy  his  time 
of  his  father  and  sent  him  to  Newbury  Seminary  to 
commence  the  work  of  education  for  the  ministry.  The 
next  three  and  a  half  years  were  spent  in  preparation 
for  attendance  at  the  Methodist  Biblical  Institute  at 
Concord,  N.  H.  The  process  was  slow,  because  he  had 
to  earn  his  own  living  meanwhile  and  because  the  years 
of  hard  physical  labor  on  the  farm  had  left  him  unpre- 
pared for  successful  application  to  study.  His  journal 
has  many  touching  references  to  the  difficulty  he  experi- 
enced in  his  efforts  to  become  a  close  student.  "I  found 
it  very,  very  hard  to  fix  attention  upon  my  books,"  he 
writes,  "and  did  not  make  the  improvement  I  should 
have  done.  I  lacked  energy  in  that  direction,  although 
I  had  enough  for  the  games  of  football."  And  in  an- 
other place,  referring  to  some  of  his  experiences  as  a 
student-preacher,  he  writes : 

Often  when  I  returned  from  the  pulpit  I  was  tempted 
never  to  enter  it  again  but  to  return  to  farming.  I 
knew  that  as  a  farmer  I  was  up  to  any  man,  almost.  I 
could  work  as  hard,  lift  as  much,  and  do  it  as  long  as 
any  one  I  ever  worked  with.  But  study  came  hard 
after  three  years  without  it,  and  I  was  often  tempted  to 
drive  all  thought  of  preaching  from  my  mind  and  go 
back  to  my  favorite  work  on  the  farm. 

But  these  temporary  shadows  across  his  path  could 
not  turn  him  aside  from  that  which  had  now  become 
conviction  of  duty  and  the  unalterable  purpose  of  his 
life.  Before  making  fuller  reference  to  his  experiences 
at  this  time  a  short  account  of  the  events  of  the  period 

will  give  the  reader  a  clearer  idea  of  what  he  was  doing. 

32 


YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 

In  the  autumn  of  1853  he  left  home  and  for  three 
months  attended  the  seminary  at  Newbury,  some  thirty 
miles  from  St.  Johnsbury.  During  the  winter  he  taught 
district  school  at  Oxford,  and  in  the  spring  of  1854  he 
went  back  to  Newbury  for  another  term  of  three 
months.  He  worked  on  his  brother's  farm  during  mid- 
summer and  in  the  fall  of  the  year  went  back  for  his 
third  term  at  Newbury.  The  following  winter  he 
taught  the  district  school  where  his  parents  lived,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1855  went  to  the  academy  at  St.  Johns- 
bury  Plain.  He  attended  three  full  terms  at  this  school, 
spending  the  winter  vacations  teaching  and  in  mid- 
summer working  on  the  farm,  and  on  the  second  of 
March,  1856,  accompanied  by  his  fellow-student  and 
bride,  Lois  Lee,  he  entered  the  Concord,  N.  H.,  Biblical 
Institute.  There  he  remained  as  a  student  until  the  end 
of  May,  1858,  at  which  time  he  wras  appointed  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Lunenburg,  a  station  within  the  bounds 
of  the  Vermont  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  appointed  missionary  to  India  in 
January,  1859. 

As  his  personal  religious  experience  had  led  him  to 
leave  the  farm  and  seek  preparation  for  the  ministry,  so 
did  it  continue  to  be  an  important  factor  in  his  life  dur- 
ing the  years  of  preparation,  and  on  this  account  must 
not  pass  unrecorded.  A  most  important  feature  of  his 
religious  experience  is  described  in  his  own  words : 

Soon  after  I  was  converted  to  God  I  commenced  to 
feel  the  importance  of  being  wholly  sanctified  to  God, 
and  for  this  I  commenced  to  seek  and  to  pray  earnestly. 
Within  a  few  weeks  I  was  at  Lyndon  again,  and  there, 
while  praying  alone  in  the  woods,  I  felt  that  I  was 
wholly  the  Lord's;  that  I  loved  him  with  all  my  heart. 

(3)  '  33 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

After  I  returned  home  the  enemy  tempted  me  severely, 
but  by  careful  examination  of  my  heart  and  calm  trust 
in  God  I  conquered  and  continued  on  my  way  re- 
joicing. During  this  season  I  enjoyed  much  of  God's 
presence.  I  tried  to  do  all  things  in  the  right  way  and 
to  do  all  my  duty.  It  was  a  happy  summer,  very  happy. 
I  was  happy  at  prayer,  happy  in  study  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, happy  at  meeting,  happy  everywhere.  I  lived  two 
miles  from  class  meeting,  yet  I  was  generally  there,  al- 
though I  had  to  work  until  seven  in  the  evening  and 
class  was  at  half  past  seven.  I  always  made  it  a  point 
in  meeting  to  speak  and  pray  whenever  I  felt  it  my 
duty,  which  was  at  nearly  every  meeting.  From  this 
I  received  great  strength  and  many  great  blessings. 

This  was  a  good  beginning  for  a  young  man  in  the 
first  year  of  his  Christian  experience,  and  was  a  good 
foundation  on  which  to  build  the  superstructure  of  min- 
isterial preparation  and  missionary  service.  He  was  a 
happy  Christian.  "The  joy  of  the  Lord  was  his 
strength."  They  tell  us  that  the  waters  from  the  smit- 
ten rock  followed  the  Israelites  during  the  forty  years 
of  their  wilderness  wanderings.  In  like  manner  the 
invigorating  stream  of  Christian  joy  refreshed  his  soul 
during  forty-one  years  of  strenuous  missionary  life. 
He  could  not  have  served  his  Master  as  he  did  if  he  had 
not  been  at  heart  a  happy  man ;  and  it  is  almost  certain 
that  the  severe  trials  and  sore  disappointments  of  his 
first  term  of  missionary  service  would  have  proved  too 
much  for  his  buoyant  spirit  if  his  Christian  experience 
had  not  from  the  beginning  been  such  a  happy  one. 

But  there  were  troubles  ahead.  At  St.  Johnsbury 
Plain  and  at  Lyndon  he  was  among  brethren  and 
friends ;  but  when  he  left  this  familiar  circle  and  found 
himself  a  stranger  among  the  students  at  Newbury  diffi- 

34 


YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 

culties  arose.  Concerning  his  religious  experience  dur- 
ing the  first  term  lie  says :  "I  grew  in  grace  somewhat, 
yet  not  as  I  ought.  I  had  too  much  of  the  fear  of  man 
before  my  eyes.  I  neglected  to  take  an  active  part  in 
meeting,  as  I  had  done  before,  and  this  hurt  me.  It 
was  not  until  nearly  the  close  of  the  term  that  I  got 
strength  to  pray  in  public."  In  another  place,  after 
describing  the  experience  which  followed  the  blessing 
of  a  clean  heart,  he  adds,  "After  I  left  home  for  school 
I,  through  fear  and  neglect,  lost  much  of  this  second 
blessing,  although  at  times  I  felt  it  as  before." 

The  second  term  at  Newbury  was  better.  He  was 
no  longer  a  stranger  and  he  had  found  congenial,  help- 
ful, Christian  associates.  He  writes  that  he  enjoyed 
himself  much  more  than  before;  he  had  more  courage, 
and  worked  more  earnestly,  not  only  at  his  studies  but 
in  the  prayer  meetings  and  class  meetings.  Some  of  his 
fellow-students  were,  like  himself,  preparing  for  the 
ministry,  and  it  was  in  association  with  them  that  he 
was  encouraged  and  led  on  to  make  definite  beginning 
of  his  life  work.  This  story  of  the  beginning  of  the 
making  of  a  missionary  must  be  told  in  his  own  words : 

During  this  term  Brother  H.  F.  Austin  and  I  were 
accustomed  to  go  out  to  hold  prayer  meetings  on  Sun- 
day evenings  among  the  people  living  in  the  country 
back  of  the  village.  Here  commenced  my  itinerant  work. 
We  often  walked  out  four  miles  to  hold  a  meeting  and 
then  walked  back  the  same  night.  Brother  Austin 
was  a  noble  soul.  At  the  close  of  this  term  I  felt  I  had 
made  advancement  in  my  studies  and  in  spirituality. 
Newbury  is  a  good  place  for  boys.  They  are  continu- 
ally in  the  midst  of  a  revival  there,  and  every  privilege 
is  enjoyed  which  could  tend  to  help  our  spiritual 
growth. 

35 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

The  next  step  soon  followed.  Two  years  from  the 
time  of  his  conversion,  in  1852,  he  began  to  give  short 
religious  addresses  to  a  few  people  in  prayer  meetings. 
In  the  spring  of  1855  he  received  his  exhorter's  license, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1856,  shortly  before  going  to  the 
Biblical  Institute  at  Concord,  he  received  his  local 
preacher's  license.  He  was  then  nearly  twenty-four 
years  of  age.  The  beginning  of  his  pulpit  work  is  thus 
described : 

In  the  fall  of  1854  I  commenced  exhorting  a  little. 
I  was  first  led  into  this  by  Brother  Bridge,  who  got  me 
to  go  out  to  Kirby  with  him  and  then  almost  forced  me 
into  the  pulpit  to  preach.  I  had  not  then  received  my 
exhorter's  license,  but  had  been  recommended  by  the 
class  and  had  the  promise  of  the  license  from  Brother 
Button,  our  pastor  at  St.  Johnsbury.  But  I  did  not  re- 
ceive the  document  till  the  next  spring. 

The  young  man  was  now  fairly  started  in  his  work. 
In  the  spring  of  1855  he  preached  at  St.  Johnsbury 
Center  while  the  pastor  was  absent  attending  Confer- 
ence. Occasional  service  of  this  sort  followed,  but  for 
the  most  part  his  efforts  were  still  limited  to  prayer 
meetings  in  schoolhouses  or  in  the  homes  of  the  people. 
Meanwhile  he  was  getting  on.  Many  have  made  more 
rapid  progress,  but  he  was  working  his  way ;  not  only 
supporting  himself  but  working  his  way  up  to  that 
grade  of  scholarship  which  was  necessary  for  carrying 
out  his  plans  of  life.  When  he  had  completed  his  pre- 
paratory studies  and  had  gone  to  Concord  the  same 
necessity  for  working  his  way  was  upon  him,  and  he 
tells  us  that  while  at  the  Institute  he  supported  himself 
by  preaching  on  the  Sabbath.  He  had  an  appointment 

at  Goffstown,  some  distance  south  of  Concord.     Each 

36 


YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 

Saturday  he  went  by  rail  to  Manchester  and  from  there 
walked  some  eight  or  ten  miles  out  to  his  appointment, 
reaching  the  place  Saturday  evening.  He  usually  had 
three  services  on  Sunday,  and  on  Monday  morning  re- 
turned by  the  same  route  to  Concord.  The  Goffstown 
work  practically  occupied  him  three  days  of  the  week, 
and  this  must  have  interfered  somewhat  with  his  work 
at  school.  His  preparatory  studies  were  so  far  ad- 
vanced that  he  arranged  to  take  the  three  years'  course 
in  two;  and  although  he  left  Concord  two  months  be- 
fore the  completion  of  the  second  year  he  was  duly 
graduated  as  completing  the  course.  He  afterward  re- 
gretted that  he  had  not  taken  another  year  at  Concord 
and  given  more  time  to  the  various  subjects. 

He  was  received  as  a  probationer  in  the  Vermont 
Conference  in  April,  1857,  one  month  after  entering 
the  Biblical  Institute.  The  Rev.  Schuvler  Chamberlain 

•/ 

was  his  presiding  elder.  The  Conference  year  began 
in  April,  the  Institute  session  closed  in  July.  Hence 
Mr.  Parker's  appointment  to  Lunenburg  at  the  Confer- 
ence session  of  1858  removed  him  from  Concord  more 
than  two  months  before  the  close  of  the  term.  Lunen- 
burg is  among  the  hills  on  the  Connecticut  a  few  miles 
east  from  the  St.  Johnsbury  home.  The  young  pastor 
gives  the  following  account  of  the  place  and  his  work 
there: 

At  Lunenburg  we  found  a  very  poor  house  and  a 
small,  scattered  church,  and  I  at  first  was  a  little  low- 
spirited.  But  my  good  wife  said  it  was  all  right  and 
good,  so  we  went  to  work.  The  good  Lord  blessed  us 
here.  Many  were  converted  and  many  of  them  were 
heads  of  families.  The  church  was  built  up  indeed. 
When  we  left  Lunenburg  many  of  the  members  of  the 

37 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

board  of  stewards  were  our  converts  in  the  Lord:  God 
blessed  us  indeed,  and  our  hearts  clung  to  that  people. 
Never  can  we  forget  them.  May  God  keep  that  little 
church ! 

This  reference  to  Mrs.  Parker  may  remind  the  reader 
that  when  Mr.  Parker  entered  the  Concord  Biblical 
Institute  his  bride  accompanied  him.  As  Mrs.  Parker's 
cooperation  in  all  the  labors  and  success  of  her  hus- 
band's life  was  so  effective,  and  as  he  was  at  each  step 
of  the  way  indebted  to  her  for  invaluable  assistance  of 
every  kind,  and  as  it  is  impossible  to  separate  his  work 
and  life  from  hers,  it  is  fitting  that  fuller  notice  be  given 
to  this  marriage,  which  was  no  doubt  the  most  fortu- 
nate event  in  the  whole  life  of  this  successful  and  happy 
man.  It  hardly  accords  with  popular  ideas  of  New 
England  thrift  that  a  young  man  who  was  working  his 
way  through  school,  and  would  have  to  earn  his  own 
living  in  some  way  while  passing  through  the  Biblical 
Institute,  should  have  increased  his  responsibilities  and 
apparently  added  to  his  burdens  by  marrying  a  wife. 
But  this  plan  was  well  thought  out,  as  the  plans  of  "the 
Parkers"  always  were,  and  there  were  good  reasons  for 
following  this  course. 

Mrs.  Parker's  ancestors  were  among  the  first  settlers 
in  St.  Johnsbury,  going  there  when  the  place  was  a 
mere  wilderness.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  Stiles, 
was  a  deacon  in  the  Freewill  Baptist  Church;  her 
father's  family  were  nearly  all  Methodists,  but  Mr. 
Lee  himself  and  his  wife  were  Congregationalists. 
Mrs.  Parker  had  joined  this  church  when  eleven  years 
of  age,  remaining  a  member  until  her  marriage,  in 
1856.  On  account  of  this  association  with  Congrega- 
tionalists at  St.  Johnsbury  the  sympathy  and  prayers  of 

38 


YOUTH  AND  EARLY  MANHOOD 

both  denominations  were  given  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker 
on  their  appointment  to  India,  and  this  interest  has 
been  maintained  until  now.  The  story  of  the  early  ac- 
quaintance of  Edwin  W.  Parker  and  Lois  Lee,  and  of 
their  marriage  and  removal  to  Concord,  is  by  no  means 
the  least  important  or  least  attractive  item  in  this  mem- 
oir, and  it  is  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  it  can  be 
given  here  as  written  by  Mrs.  Parker  herself : 

My  parents  lived  in  St.  Johnsbury,  about  three  miles 
from  Mr.  Parker's  home.  Our  first  real  acquaintance 
began  when  I  was  about  twelve  years  old.  His  sister 
was  teaching  our  school  and  boarded  at  my  father's, 
and  he  used  to  come  for  his  sister  Saturdays.  We  were 
both  in  school  at  Newbury,  Vt.,  and  later  at  St.  Johns- 
bury.  It  was  while  at  this  last  school  that  we  were  en- 
gaged. Our  plan  at  first  was  for  me  to  finish  the 
course  at  the  Woman's  College  in  Newbury,  as  I  was 
within  two  terms  of  graduation,  while  he  studied  at  the 
Biblical  Institute  at  Concord.  But  in  view  of  the  prob- 
ability of  becoming  missionaries  we  thought  I  might 
get  a  better  preparation  for  work  by  going  on  with 
many  of  the  studies  he  would  take.  In  those  days  there 
were  many  married  students  at  Concord.  So  we  were 
married  and  went  on  studying  together  while  he  re- 
mained at  Concord.  I  have  always  been  thankful  for 
those  days  at  Concord ;  not  only  for  the  opportunity  for 
study,  but  for  the  association  we  had  with  Bishop  and 
Mrs.  Baker,  with  the  professors  and  their  families,  and 
with  the  older  students,  among  whom  were  Albert  L. 
Long  and  Stephen  L.  Baldwin. 

39 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  III. — THE  MISSIONARY  CALL 

IN  the  year  1855  the  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  resolved  to  establish  a 
mission  in  British  India.  Early  in  1856  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Butler  was  sent  out  to  select  a  field  for  the  new 
mission.  Oudh  and  Rohilkhand  were  chosen,  and  the 
superintendent  established  himself  at  Bareilly  and 
awaited  reinforcements.  On  September  22,  1857,  the 
Revs.  James  L.  Humphrey  and  Ralph  Pierce,  with 
their  wives,  reached  Calcutta,  expecting  to  go  on  at 
once  to  Bareilly.  But  about  the  time  of  their  departure 
from  Boston  the  mutiny  had  broken  oul  in  Oudh  and 
Rohilkhand,  the  mission  premises  at  Bareilly  had  been 
destroyed,  and  the  superintendent,  his  family,  and  other 
Europeans  had  fled  for  safety  to  Naini  Tal.  For  the 
present  it  was  impossible  to  continue  their  journey. 
They  were  obliged  to  wait  five  months  in  Calcutta  be- 
fore it  was  considered  safe  for  them  to  go  on.  On 
February  24,  1858,  they  left  Calcutta  and,  meeting  Dr. 
Butler,  the  superintendent,  at  Agra,  proceeded  via 
Meerut  and  Mussoorie  to  Naini  Tal,  reaching  that 
place  in  a  little  less  than  two  months  from  the  time 
they  left  Calcutta. 

As  the  Chinese  disturbances  in  1900  were  followed 
by  a  remarkable  revival  of  missionary  effort  in  China, 
so  in  India  the  Mutiny  of  1857  inspired  the  churches  of 
Great  Britain  and  America  to  increased  effort  for  the 
evangelization  of  India.  Dr.  Butler  returned  to  Ba- 
reilly as  soon  as  it  was  safe  to  do  so,  left  Mr.  Humphrey 

to  begin  work  there,  and  went  on  himself  with  Mr. 

40 


THE  MISSIONARY  CALL 

Pierce  to  Lucknow,  intending  to  make  that  city  the 
headquarters  of  the  mission.  But  before  leaving  Naini 
Tal  he  had  applied  to  the  missionary  secretaries  at  New 
York  for  six  married  missionaries.  The  secretaries 
published  the  call  and  appealed  to  the  Church  for  volun- 
teers. The  hour  was  a  propitious  one.  The  story  of 
the  massacre  of  Cavvnpore,  of  the  defense  and  relief  of 
Lucknow,  of  the  siege  and  capture  of  Delhi,  gave  India 
a  large  place  in  the  thoughts  and  sympathies  of  the 
American  people;  and  when  the  call  went  forth,  "Six 
men  for  India,"  it  stirred  the  hearts  of  hundreds  of  de- 
vout men,  who  asked  themselves  the  question,  "Is  this 
call  for  me?" 

The  call  soon  reached  Lunenburg,  where  the  Rev. 
Edwin  W.  Parker  was  nearing  the  close  of  his  second 
year's  pastorate.  The  church  there  was  weak  in  num- 
bers and  the  people  were  poor.  So  few  and  so  poor,  in 
fact,  that  the  pastor  and  his  wife  both  taught  in  the 
local  schools  to  eke  out  a  support.  Knowing  the  won- 
derful sequel  to  the  story,  there  is  naturally  a  desire  to 
know  just  how  that  call  reached  those  two  persons 
whose  lives  were  destined  to  be  so  closely  connected 
with  India.  Mrs.  Parker  herself  shall  tell  us : 

Mr.  Parker  had  a  conviction  very  soon  after  his  call 
to  the  ministry  that  he  must  also  be  a  missionary.  His 
mother  had  this  conviction  almost  from  his  birth,  but  he 
did  not  know  this  until  after  he  began  to  preach.  When 
he  asked  me  to  be  his  wife  he  said  it  was  no  more  than 
right  that  I  should  know  of  this  conviction.  I  told  him 
that  I  had  felt  from  a  child  that  sometime  I  would  be  a 
missionary,  so  that  whenever  the  way  opened  for  him  I 
should  not  object.  One  of  my  father's  sisters,  Miss 
Ethelinda  Lee,  was  one  of  the  first  missionaries  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to  the  Indians  at  Green 

41 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Bay,  Mich.  It  took  her  longer  to  go  from  St.  Johns- 
bury  to  Green  Bay  than  for  us  to  come  to  India  in  1900. 
It  was  my  great  delight  as  a  child  to  read  and  hear  read 
her  letters  telling  of  her  work  among  the  Indians,  and 
the  idea  never  left  me  that  sometime  I  would  be  in 
similar  work.  It  was  during  our  second  year  at  Lunen- 
burg  that  Dr.  Butler's  call  for  six  men  for  India  was 
published  in  the  Church  papers.  At  that  time  we  were 
both  teaching  in  the  village  school  in  order  to  eke  out 
the  small  allowance  that  the  church  was  able  to  pay  us. 
Family  circumstances  were  such  that  it  seemed  out  of 
the  question  for  us  to  leave  America  at  that  time.  My 
mother  had  died  leaving  her  youngest  child  to  my  care, 
for  whom  there  seemed  no  other  protector.  Still  that 
call  from  India  did  not  leave  us,  though  for  some  days 
we  did  not  even  speak  to  each  other  about  it.  At  last 
Mr.  Parker  asked  me  if  I  had  noticed  the  call,  and  did 
I  think  we  could  respond  to  it.  After  much  prayer  and 
much  opposition  from  friends  we  decided  to  offer  our- 
selves and  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety, thinking  that  probably  others  better  qualified  than 
we  were  would  offer,  and  we  would  not  be  accepted. 
But  in  December,  1858,  the  appointment  came,  and 
early  in  March  we  left  our  Vermont  home ;  all  our  work 
at  Lunenburg  and  all  our  family  interests  having  been 
satisfactorily  arranged  for. 

Mr.  Parker's  commission  as  missionary  to  India  is 
dated  New  York,  February  22,  1859,  and  bears  the 
signatures  of  Bishops  Janes  and  Simpson.  It  is  an  in- 
teresting historical  document,  and  is  moreover  worth 
presenting  here  as  it  shows  how  missionaries  were  ap- 
pointed in  those  early  days : 

To  Rev.  Edwin  W.  Parker,  Minister  of  the  M.  E. 

Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.  and  member  of  the  Vermont 

Conference  of  said  M.  E.  Church. 

DEAR  BROTHER:  You  are  hereby  appointed  a  mis- 
sionary of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  India.  You  will  sail 

42 


THE  MISSIONARY  CALL 

for  that  country  as  soon  as  practicable.  On  reaching 
Calcutta  you  will  report  yourself  to  Rev.  William  But- 
ler, Superintendent  of  said  Mission,  and  commence  and 
prosecute  your  study  of  the  language  and  your  mission- 
ary labors  under  his  direction. 

While  you  continue  in  the  Mission  you  will  conform 
to  the  direction  of  the  Missionary  Board  at  New  York 
and  to  the  instruction  from  time  to  time  of  the  Bishop 
having  charge  of  the  Methodist  Mission  in  India. 
Yours  fraternally, 

E.  S.  JANES, 
M.  SIMPSON. 

In  addition  to  this  official  paper  from  the  bishop 
there  is  a  letter  from  Dr.  Durbin  giving  certain  business 
directions  for  the  guidance  of  the  missionaries.  The 
letter  was  written  from  the  mission  rooms  on  April  6. 
The  closing  paragraphs  of  the  letter  are  given  here  be- 
cause they  reveal  the  intense  earnestness  of  the  great 
missionary  secretary,  and  also  because  they  show  the 
character  of  the  covenant  between  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety and  its  missionaries  and  what  was  expected  of 
them.  Dr.  Durbin  writes: 

After  I  have  said  so  much  in  regard  to  what  refers 
to  the  more  temporal  aspects  of  your  mission  allow  me 
now  to  say,  I  trust  you  have  accepted  this  mission  as  the 
great  work  of  your  life;  and  that  you  will  consecrate 
your  life  and  all  that  you  have  to  it ;  not  counting  your 
life  dear  unto  you,  nor  the  life  of  your  beloved  wife,  if 
need  be,  so  that  you  may  fully  accomplish  your  great 
mission.  And  I  also  hope  and  trust  that  you  are  deeply 
impressed  with  the  necessity  of  personal  piety,  so  that 
you  may  prosecute  your  mission  with  great  power  and 
effect,  not  only  by  giving  an  example  to  those  around 
you,  but  likewise  by  preaching  to  them  the  Gospel  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven.  This  piety, 
with  these  objects  in  view,  will  lead  you  to  work  with 

43 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

your  brethren  in  the  mission  in  great  harmony,  and 
thus,  by  unity  of  purpose  and  concord  of  action  and 
communion  one  with  another,  you  will  not  only  save 
your  own  souls  but  also  the  souls  of  those  that  hear  you. 

We  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  personally  when- 
ever you  feel  like  writing,  and  in  all  personal  matters 
you  may  write  freely,  and  you  will  find  a  feeling  re- 
sponse in  your  own  hearts. 

And  may  God  give  you  grace  and  preserve  you  unto 
his  heavenly  kingdom. 

We  do  not  know  how  fully  the  bishops  and  the  mis- 
sionary secretary  understood  the  character  and  quali- 
fications of  the  young  Vermont  preacher  whom  they 
appointed  missionary  to  India  on  that  Washington's 
Birthday.  But  the  truth  is  that  he  was  in  many  re- 
spects marvelously  well  equipped.  His  physical  body 
was  so  firmly  knit  together  in  symmetrical  strength 
that,  after  forty  years  in  the  debilitating  climate  of  In- 
dia, his  nine  months'  struggle  with  the  disease  which 
finally  conquered  him  was  a  continual  surprise  to  his 
physicians  and  one  of  the  most  notable  illustrations  of 
human  physical  endurance  on  record.  He  was  as  for- 
tunate in  his  temperament  as  he  was  in  bodily  strength. 
One  of  the  most  practically  minded  men  that  ever  lived, 
he  was  yet  an  optimist  of  the  first  quality.  Under  sore 
disappointment,  and  amid  circumstances  of  real  dis- 
couragement which  he  clearly,  apprehended,  his  inborn 
hopefulness  always  asserted  itself  and  inspired  him  to 
renewed  effort. 

His  moral  equipment  was  also  exceptional.  Honest, 
candid,  true,  sympathetic,  generous,  earnest,  affection- 
ate, and  free  from  selfishness,  he  was  well  fitted  to  be 
a  living  representative  of  Christian  morality  among 
non-Christian  people.  His  moral  and  mental  qualities 

44 


THE  MISSIONARY  CALL 

united  to  make  him  one  of  the  most  reliable  and  helpful 
of  friends  and  fellow-laborers. 

A  clear-headed,  observant,  practical  man;  one  who 
readily  understood  things,  who  could  see  into  dark- 
things  and  discover  a  way  out,  he  had  the  qualities  of 
mind  which  enable  men  to  recognize  opportunities  and 
improve  them  or  apprehend  dangers  and  avoid  them. 
He  apprehended  mission  problems  with  remarkable 
clearness,  and  this  faculty,  added  to  his  hopeful,  helpful 
sympathy,  enabled  him  to  be,  more  perhaps  than  any 
of  his  fellow-missionaries,  the  trusted  counselor  of  his 
brethren,  Indian  or  European.  He  was  also  a  man  of 
humble,  sincere  piety ;  a  man  who  lived  and  labored  in 
the  presence  of  God,  whose  zeal  for  the  cause  of  God 
was  the  honest  expression  of  the  most  sacred  and  pow- 
erful sentiments  of  his  heart.  Bishops  and  missionary 
secretaries  have  made  some  serious  mistakes  in  select- 
ing men  for  mission  work,  but  there  is  no  room  for 
doubt  about  the  wisdom  of  those  who  sent  Edwin  W. 
Parker  as  a  missionary  to  India. 

The  Parkers  had  but  three  months  for  getting  ready 
to  depart.  Farewell  meetings  were  frequent  and  im- 
pressive. In  these  days  a  missionary  under  appoint- 
ment to  India  expects  to  revisit  the  home  land  at  least 
after  ten  years'  service,  and  if  farewell  meetings  are 
held  they  cannot  possibly  be  as  impressive  as  they  were 
in  the  days  when  missionaries  were  told  they  wrere  ap- 
pointed for  life  and  it  was  generally  uiiderst(xid  that 
they  were  not  to  show  their  faces  again  in  (lie  home 
land.  The  farewell  meeting  at  St.  Johnsbury,  February 
23,  1859,  was  really  a  representative  gathering  of  all 
the  churches  in  the  place.  A  writer  in  the  local  news- 
paper records  that  "the  churches  of  St.  Johnsbury  gen- 

45 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

erously  mingled  with  the  Methodists  and  a  congrega- 
tion of  some  six  or  seven  hundred  gave  up  a  citizen  and 
a  brother  to  the  missionary  work."  Encouraging  and 
inspiring  addresses  were  given  by  the  Rev.  Peter  Mer- 
rill, presiding  elder,  by  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  other  ministers  and  laymen.  The  young 
missionary,  according  to  custom,  gave  an  address,  and 
if  the  reporter  did  his  work  faithfully  Mr.  Parker's  ad- 
dress was  brief,  simple,  and  modest.  He  referred  to 
his  call  to  the  mission  field,  to  the  gladness  with  which 
he  obeyed  the  call,  although  it  meant  painful  separation 
from  home  and  friends.  He  was  convinced  of  the  need 
for  mission  work  and  of  his  own  duty  in  the  matter. 
Although  he  expected  toil  and  privation  he  went  to  In- 
dia as  cheerfully  as  any  of  the  audience  would  return 
to  their  homes  that  night.  After  the  closing  hymn 
Mrs.  Parker  came  forward  and  stood  by  her  husband, 
when  the  presiding  elder  took  them  by  the  hand  and, 
in  behalf  of  the  preachers  of  the  Vermont  Conference 
and  other  Christian  friends,  bade  them  an  affectionate 
farewell.  The  congregation  expressed  their  sympathy 
by  presenting  Mr.  Parker  with  a  purse  of  money  which 
he  said  he  would  devote  to  the  service  of  God.  An 
earnest  prayer  by  the  Rev.  N.  W.  Aspenwell  closed  the 
memorable  meeting. 

While  completing  arrangements  for  their  departure 
and  waiting  for  the  vessel  to  sail  the  missionaries  re- 
ceived words  of  counsel  and  encouragement  from  those 
who  approved  and  from  those  who  disapproved  of  their 
going  to  India.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  most  mission- 
aries have  had  to  meet  no  little  opposition  to  their 
going,  and  this  not  from  irreligious  persons  alone,  but 

from  Christians  and  ministers  of  the  Gospel.     "Mis- 

46 


THE  MISSIONARY  CALL 

sions  are  noble  undertakings,  and  it  is  a  grand  thing  for 
men  and  women  to  leave  home  and  live  and  work  in 
foreign  lands  among  non-Christians.  But  when  prom- 
ising members  of  our  own  Church  and  family  circles 
talk  of  throwing  themselves  away  in  this  manner  it  is 
another  matter  entirely."  Opposition  from  friends  and 
relatives  was  not  the  only  adverse  influence  they  ex- 
perienced. Mrs.  Parker  tells  of  unintentional  discour- 
agement which  they  received  from  nearly  all  their 
Christian  acquaintances : 

Dr.  Vail,  one  of  the  professors  at  Concord,  spoke  to 
us  when  we  were  starting  for  India  the  only  encourag- 
ing words  any  one  gave  us.  Every  one  else  said,  "You 
must  not  be  discouraged  if  you  work  many  years  and 
see  no  fruit  of  your  labors."  Dr.  Vail  said,  "I  cannot 
conceive  of  a  missionary  working  on  many  years  in  the 
name  and  with  the  spirit  of  Christ  without  seeing  some 
result  from  his  labors."  This  gave  us  great  comfort, 
and  we  thought  of  his  words  many  times  afterward. 

The  missionaries  were  to  sail  for  Calcutta  from  Bos- 
ton in  a  merchant  vessel,  and  the  exact  date  of  their 
departure  could  not  be  fixed  many  days  before  the 
actual  time  of  sailing.  Several  times  they  were  warned 
to  be  ready  by  a  certain  date,  and  each  time  the  day  was 
postponed.  The  Parkers  passed  the  time  of  waiting 
among  friends  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  a  few  hours'  ride 
from  Boston. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  missionaries  should  be 
ordained  at  Lynn,  Mass.,  where  the  New  England  Con- 
ference held  its  session  in  1859.  At  the  appointed 
time  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  came  on  to  Boston,  and 
thence  to  Lynn  on  April  7.  TTcre  for  the  first  time  the 
whole  company  of  missionaries  met  each  other.  On  the 

47 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Sunday  following,  April  10,  1859,  J.  Downey,  C.  W. 
Judd,  E.  W.  Parker,  J.  M.  Thoburn,  and  J.  W.  Waugh 
were  ordained  by  Bishop  Ames,  assisted  by  Dr.  Durbin 
and  others.  The  Conference  missionary  anniversary, 
held  the  same  evening,  was  also  made  a  farewell  meet- 
ing. The  church  was  crowded  and  an  overflow  meet- 
ing was  held  in  the  vestry.  The  missionaries  who  spoke 
addressed  the  congregation  in  the  church  and  then  the 
people  in  the  vestry.  It  was  a  memorable  occasion,  and 
added  much  to  the  public  zeal  for  the  India  Mission 
and  to  the  interest  in  the  missionaries  themselves. 

The  next  Tuesday  morning  the  party  went  on  board 
ship,  a  farewell  prayer  service  conducted  by  Dr.  Dur- 
bin was  held  in  the  cabin,  friends  went  ashore,  and  a 
steam  tug  took  the  vessel  into  the  outer  harbor;  but 
strong  easterly  winds  prevented  her  getting  out  to  sea 

until  Saturday. 

48 


THE  SHIP  BOSTON 


CHAPTER  IV. — THE  SHIP  BOSTON 

ON  April  16,  1859,  the  ship  Boston  sailed  from  the 
New  England  port  whose  name  she  bore.  Her  destina- 
tion was  Calcutta  and  her  cargo  was  ice  from  Wenham 
Lake.  Her  small  cabin  was  crowded  with  missionaries, 
five  men  and  four  women.  For  the  most  part  person- 
ally strangers,  yet  by  virtue  of  a  common  purpose  and 
a  special  calling  they  were  supposed  to  be  more  in  sym- 
pathy with  each  other,  to  have  closer  intimacy  and 
greater  affection  for  each  other,  than  lifelong  friends 
or  members  of  the  same  family.  Each  of  the  number 
was  conscious  of  a  high  calling,  and  each  was  in  dead 
earnest  about  that  calling;  each  had  just  left  a  circle  of 
loving  and  admiring  friends,  and  each  was  almost  "an 
object  of  adoration  in  a  community  of  considerable  size. 
If  anyone  had  hinted  that  these  nine  persons  were  tak- 
ing themselves  rather  seriously  and  were  in  danger  of 
being  a  little  puffed  up,  the  insinuation  would  have  been 
resented  with  grief,  if  not  with  anger.  Nevertheless, 
human  nature  being  what  it  is,  and  human  weaknesses 
l>eing  what  they  are,  a  thinking  man  could  not  escape 
the  conviction  that  it  was  something  of  an  experiment 
to  imprison  nine  such  people  where  during  four  long 
months,  while  enduring  the  miseries  of  seasickness  and 
enforced  idleness,  they  would  be  shut  up  to  each  others' 
society  and  compelled  to  live  as  one  family. 

There  was  much  personal  inconvenience  and  a  great 
deal  of  Ixidily  suffering  during  the  voyage.  The  cabin 
accommodation  was  insufficient,  and  not  one  of  the 
number  had  ever  been  at  sen.  All  suffered  severely 

(4)  49 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

from  seasickness,  and  some  of  them  were  subject  to 
attacks  of  the  malady  throughout  the  entire  voyage. 
On  the  second  day  out  Mr.  Parker  writes  in  his  jour- 
nal :  "This  seasickness  is  perfectly  awful;  far  beyond 
description.  One  feels  utterly  miserable  and  lost  to  all 
desire  and  care  for  anything.  Many  times  one  feels  it 
would  be  pleasure  and  relief  to  have  the  old  ship  sink 
and  take  us  all  to  the  bottom."  This  entry  is  dated 
April  21.  On  July  19,  on  account  of  Mr.  Waugh's  ill- 
ness, the  usual  Sunday  morning  service  in  the  cabin 
could  not  be  held,  and  Mr.  Parker  writes  of  himself 
that  for  three  days  he  had  suffered  but  was  now  a  little 
better  and  hoped  soon  to  recommence  his  studies.  The 
one  hundred  days  from  April  12  to  July  19  were  days 
of  recurring  discomfort,  if  not  severe  illness,  to  one  or 
another  of  the  party.  References  to  seasickness  and 
other  ailments  are  very  prominent  from  beginning  to 
end  of  Mr.  Parker's  log. 

The  "Bostonians"  were  unfortunate  in  their  captain 
and  in  some  of  the  peculiar  regulations  on  board  the 
ship.  At  first  the  captain  was  exceedingly  friendly  and 
even  weared  his  passengers  with  his  attentions.  But  he 
soon  changed  to  the  opposite  extreme.  When  he  began 
to  experience  bad  weather  and  unfavorable  winds  he 
attributed  his  misfortunes  to  his  clerical  passengers; 
the  voyage  would  surely  be  unlucky.  He  allowed  no 
public  religious  services  on  deck  and  he  forbade  the 
missionaries  holding  any  communication  with  the 
sailors. 

The  common  sailor  is  supposed  to  be  like  the  Ameri- 
can army  mule,  needing  the  incentive  of  profanity  to 
make  him  do  his  work.  In  the  merchant  marine  cap- 
tains and  mates  generally  use  vigorous  language,  and 

so 


Rev.  Edwin  Wallace  Parker 
(From  u  likeness  made  in  1858) 


THE  SHIP  BOSTON 

in  moments  of  difficulty  or  danger  the  amount  of  swear- 
ing is  usually  proportionate  to  the  emergency.  On 
July  24  the  ship's  fore-topgallant  mast  was  carried 
away  and  the  top  hamper  came  down.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, was  lost  except  the  captain's  temper,  and  the 
missionaries  were  much  afflicted  by  his  violence.  But 
all  of  the  time  was  not  spent  in  vainly  wishing  for 
death  to  release  them  from  the  miseries  of  seasickness 
or  in  chafing  under  the  restrictions,  and  though  Mr. 

Parker  writes  in  his  journal  that  "To-day  Brother 

reproved  me  for  frivolity,"  and  in  another  place  that 
"Brother  Thoburn  and  I  are  a  great  trial  to  Brother 
,"  they  were  on  the  whole  a  sane,  harmoni- 
ous company,  making  the  best  they  could  of  rather 
trying  circumstances.  There  was  a  large  amount  of 
reading,  studying,  praying,  and  even  preaching,  among 
the  "Bostonians."  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  completed  an 
extended  course  of  historical  studies  and  they  prose- 
cuted the  study  of  Hindustani  to  the  full  extent  of  their 
strength  and  opportunities.  An  earnest  spirit  of  prayer 
pervaded  the  company.  All  were  either  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  blessing  of  "perfect  love"  or  were  seeking 
its  attainment.  On  June  19  Mr.  Parker  wrote  in  his 
journal,  "To-day  Brother  Waugh,  Brother  Downey  and 
wife  experienced  the  blessing  for  which  they  have  been 
so  long  seeking."  In  another  place  he  makes  a  similar 
entry  concerning  "Brother  Thoburn,"  and  all  through 
the  journal  are  repeated  entries  acknowledging  special 
blessings  he  himself  had  received.  Such  things  are 
conclusive  evidence  that,  although  the  party  cannot  be 
said  to  have  had  a  very  happy  voyage,  they  were  in  no 
sense  demoralized  by  their  trials,  and  they  left  the  ship 
stronger  and  better  men  than  when  they  went  on  board. 

51 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

The  tedium  of  the  long  voyage  was  occasionally  re- 
lieved by  such  little  incidents  as  the  catching  of  a  shark 
by  the  captain,  occasional  captures  in  the  South  Atlantic 
of  the  albatross,  measuring  eleven  feet  from  tip  to  tip, 
and,  above  all,  by  a  near  view,  on  June  24,  of  the  in- 
teresting island  of  Tristan  D'Acunha,  in  forty  degrees 
south  latitude.  Mr.  Parker's  account  of  the  event 
shows  how  much  such  an  incident  meant  to  themselves : 

About  daybreak  the  second  mate  tapped  on  our  win- 
dow and  said,  "Land!"  We  were  on  deck  in  a  few 
minutes,  but  at  first  could  not  distinguish  the  land. 
Soon,  however,  we  saw  what  looked  like  rocks  at  a  dis- 
tance rising  out  of  the  ocean.  These  we  were  told  are 
called,  "The  Inaccessible  Island."  We  soon  saw  an- 
other, called  "The  Nightingale,"  and  then,  directly 
ahead,  we  saw  the  main  island.  It  appeared  at  first  like 
a  large  rock  rising  out  of  the  sea,  but  as  we  neared  it 
we  saw  a  small  level  fertile  piece  of  land  and  a  few 
houses.  Upon  this  live  a  few  people.  At  present  there 
are  six  families,  thirty-two  persons  all  told.  They  raise 
cattle  and  sheep,  potatoes,  and  some  kinds  of  fruit. 
When  we  came  nearer  a  boat  put  out  to  us  with  six 
men,  who  brought  with  them  a  few  geese  and  fowls  and 
some  potatoes.  Our  captain  took  what  they  had  and 
gave  tea,  sugar,  and  other  groceries  in  exchange.  We 
gave  them  some  books  and  tracts  and  some  articles  of 
clothing.  It  was  an  interesting  time  to  us,  as  we  had 
not  seen  land  for  over  two  months.  How  good  it  does 
seem  to  one  shut  out  from  the  world  for  months,  with 
no  home  but  a  plank,  as  it  were,  and  with  little  society, 
to  see  land  again,  even  if  we  cannot  set  foot  upon  it. 
We  are  well  to-day,  and  are  following  our  usual  course 
of  study.  I  am  trying  to  serve  my  God  all  the  time. 
To-day  I  feel  happy  in  his  love.  May  God  bless  our 
little  missionary  service  of  to-day  to  the  good  of  the 
people  in  Tristan  D'Acunha. 

52 


THE  SHIP  BOSTON 

The  Fourth  of  July  came  duly  a  few  days  after  the 
island  episode,  and  these  young  Americans,  who  were 
for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  in  foreign  latitudes  on  the 
anniversary  of  their  national  independence,  felt  more 
than  ordinarily  patriotic  and  celebrated  the  day  by 
holding  a  missionary  meeting.  Each  of  the  five  men 
gave  a  missionary  address.  The  brief  account  of  the 
day  and  its  doings  is  taken  from  Mr.  Parker's  diary. 
Bishop  Thoburn,  Dr.  Waugh,  and  Mrs.  Parker  are  the 
only  survivors  of  the  nine  who  composed  that  unique 
missionary  meeting.  The  personal  interest  in  the 
speakers  themselves  is  increased  by  a  desire  to  know 
what  sort  of  missionary  speeches  men  would  make  in 
such  peculiar  circumstances : 

To-day  is  the  anniversary  of  our  nation's  inde- 
pendence, and  to  me  is  a  good  clay.  We  celebrated  the 
day  on  board  ship  by  holding  a  little  missionary  meet- 
ing. Speeches  were  made  by  each  man  of  our  company. 
Brother  Downey  spoke  first.  He  remarked  upon  the 
importance  of  our  work.  Compared  the  condition  of 
the  world  to  a  planet  which  had  left  its  orbit  and  was  in 
confusion.  We  were  to  be  a  power  for  restoring  it  to 
its  place.  Such  is  the  condition  of  India  religiously. 
Compared  our  position  to  that  of  Lafayette  helping 
the  United  States.  It  was  an  honor  bestowed  upon 
him.  We  shall  make  many  hearts  rejoice,  and  shall 
joy  to  meet  them  in  another  land. 

Thoburn  spoke  of  means  to  be  used  to  accomplish 
the  work  in  India,  and  of  the  present  prospects  of  im- 
mediate success.  He  spoke  well  and  to  the  point.  Par- 
ker said  but  little.  He  thought  we  as  missionaries  must 
conclude  to  work,  and  to  work  hard,  if  we  are  to  make 
an  impression  for  good,  and  we  must  have  faith  in  Cod. 
Waugh  related  an  anecdote  of  General  Clark  taking  an 
important  fort,  and  drew  from  it  the  lesson  that  we 
must  first  subdue  our  own  hearts  and  then  try  and 

53 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

win  over  as  many  native  helpers  as  we  can ;  also  in  this 
way  declare  the  great  power  of  God.  Then  we  shall 
succeed.  Judd  gave  us  an  imaginary  sketch  of  his  first 
sermon  to  the  heathen:  i.  Prove  there  is  a  God. 
2.  There  is  a  Saviour.  3.  The  human  race  is  depraved. 
The  day  has  passed  pleasantly.  Weather  fine.  Wind 
fair.  Health  good.  Soul  happy.  I  feel  independent 
to-day.  Especially  do  I  feel  as  though  I  came  nearer 
being  free  from  the  bondage  and  servitude  of  sin  and 
Satan  than  ever  before.  I  want  to  feel  in  my  soul  in- 
dependent, with  strength  to  overcome  self  and  the  ad- 
versary. While  my  native  land  to-day  celebrates  the 
nation's  independence  I  would  feel  it  a  day  of  freedom 
from  sin.  I  feel  new  strength,  indeed,  and  a  new  zeal 
for  the  cause  of  God. 

The  sentiments  expressed  at  the  close  of  this  inter- 
esting record  characterize  nearly  all  the  entries  made 
by  Mr.  Parker  in  his  journal  while  voyaging  to  India. 
They  are  such  as  ought  to  prevail  in  the  heart  of  every 
man  who  assumes  to  stand  as  a  guide  and  instructor  to 
his  fellow-men.  Mr.  Parker's  successful  missionary 
career  was  the  natural  harvest  from  such  a  sowing. 
These  records  reveal  the  secret  of  his  effective  service. 
Had  his  heart-life  been  different  his  missionary  career 
would  have  been  different  also. 

On  Saturday,  August  13,  the  Boston  first  made  land 
off  the  coast  of  Orissa.  The  next  morning  the  ship  was 
some  five  miles  from  the  coast  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Mahanadi,  before  noon  she  made  False  Point,  early 
next  morning,  August  15,  the  pilot  came  on  board,  and 
after  four  months'  isolation  the  "Bostonians"  renewed 
their  connection  with  the  world's  contemporary  life. 
About  noon  they  dropped  anchor  and  waited  for  next 
day's  tide.  Tuesday  morning  they  were  early  under 
way,  but  an  accident  detained  them  and  they  cast 

54 


THE  SHIP  BOSTON 

anchor  that  night  at  Saugar  Island.  Not  until  Sunday 
evening,  August  21,  did  they  reach  Calcutta,  where 
they  found  Dr.  Butler,  the  superintendent,  waiting  for 
them. 

Five  days  were  spent  in  Calcutta  before  it  was  pos- 
sible to  begin  the  last  stage  of  the  long  journey.  With 
the  exception  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  rail 
from  Calcutta  to  Raniganj,  and  another  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  from  Allahabad  to  Cawnpore,  the 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Calcutta  to  Luck- 
now  were  to  be  traveled  in  carriages  drawn  by  horses, 
and  several  days'  notice  had  to  be  given  for  such  a  large 
party.  They  set  out  from  Calcutta  on  Friday  evening, 
the  26th,  and  late  on  Saturday  night,  September  3, 
they  drove  into  the  mission  compound  at  Hoosainabad, 
Lucknow.  The  journey  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four 
days  was  ended. 

55 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


IL    FIRST  TERM  OF  SERVICE 


CHAPTER  I. — THE  INDIA  MISSION 

AT  the  time  of  their  arrival  at  Lucknow  the  follow- 
ing persons  formed  the  India  Mission :  The  Revs.  Wil- 
liam Butler,  James  L.  Humphrey,  and  Ralph  Pierce, 
with  their  wives ;  also  Mr.  Samuel  Knowles,  Mr.  Josiah 
Parsons,  and  Mr.  James  A.  Cawdell,  with  their  wives. 
The  first  six  persons  were  missionaries  sent  from 
America ;  Messrs.  Knowles,  Parsons,  and  Cawdell  were 
Englishmen  who  had  joined  the  Mission  in  India. 
The  Bostonian  reinforcement  of  five  men  and  four 
women,  and  the  arrival  a  few  days  previously  of  the 
Rev.  James  Baume  and  Mrs.  Baume  nearly  doubled  the 
strength  of  the  force,  which  now  numbered  twelve  men 
and  eleven  women. 

The  Rev.  William  Butler  was  superintendent  of  the 
Mission.  His  office  made  him  virtually  bishop,  presid- 
ing elder,  finance  committee,  treasurer,  and  correspond- 
ing secretary.  This  left  nothing  for  the  other  men  to 
do  but  obey  directions  and  thankfully  receive  such 
funds  as  he  thought  proper  for  carrying  on  their  work. 
The  superintendent  was  not  to  blame  that  things  were 
so.  It  was  his  duty  to  exercise  the  authority  given  him 
and  the  offices  for  which  he  was  responsible.  Yet  the 
situation  was  an  unfortunate  one,  and  in  time  grew  to 

be  intolerable. 

56 


THE  INDIA  MISSION 

All  the  missionaries  were  ordained  Methodist  preach- 
ers holding  membership  in  Annual  Conferences.  Most 
of  the  number  had  been  in  charge  of  work  at  home,  and 
were  accustomed  to  exercise  the  authority  and  enjoy 
the  freedom  of  such  a  position.  Arriving  in  India  they 
found  themselves  disfranchised,  without  authoritative 
voice  in  the  management  of  affairs,  and  with  no  law  or 
guide  but  the  will  of  the  superintendent.  And  the 
superintendent  was  a  European,  with  Old  World 
ideas  of  position  and  authority,  while  the  missionaries 
were  American  Methodist  preachers  with  New  World 
ideas  of  freedom  and  independence  of  conduct.  The 
energetic  superintendent,  impetuous,  strong-willed,  and 
at  times  changeable,  was  often  a  trial  to  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  particularly  in  matters  of  finance.  To 
open  new  stations,  build  houses,  establish  schools,  em- 
ploy teachers  and  other  helpers  requires  not  only  a 
large  income,  but  a  fairly  reliable  one  as  well.  Many 
and  sore  were  the  complaints  of  the  perplexed  mission- 
aries in  those  early  days  that  the  superintendent's  fre- 
quent alteration  of  plans  increased  the  difficulty  of 
their  work. 

It  was  the  superintendent's  practice  to  call  the  mis- 
sionaries together  for  "Annual  Meeting,"  a  sort  of  An- 
nual Conference,  but  with  this  peculiarity:  its  delibera- 
tions and  decisions  had  no  authority ;  and  the  next  week 
after  the  meeting,  if  he  saw  fit,  the  superintendent 
could  upset  all  its  arrangements  and  go  contrary  to  its 
decisions.  The  Annual  Meeting  of  1859  was  convened 
at  Lucknow,  and  was  so  timed  as  to  be  held  on  arrival 
of  the  Bostonians.  Their  presence  made  the  imprac- 
ticable character  of  the  Mission  organization  more  ap- 
parent. As  long  as  the  superintendent  had  only  two 

57 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

missionaries  to  deal  with  there  was  not  much  need  for 
fixed  rules  of  administration,  but  this  large  reinforce- 
ment necessarily  changed  the  aspect  of  affairs,  and  the 
unworkable  character  of  the  concern  became  painfully 
evident. 

The  new  men  did  not  look  on  as  idle  spectators.  Mr. 
Parker  writes  in  his  journal  concerning  this,  his  first 
Annual  Meeting,  that  "it  was  a  time  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten by  anyone  present,  as  it  was  from  beginning  to  end 
one  continued  contention,  into  which  all,  old  or  young, 
were  more  or  less  drawn  before  the  close."  This  was 
not  exactly  what  this  single-hearted,  devout  missionary 
expected  to  find  among  his  brethren  on  the  field,  but  it 
is  a  characteristic  illustration  of  the  charitable,  hopeful 
spirit  of  the  man  that,  with  the  exception  of  this  re- 
mark, neither  his  journal  nor  his  letters  make  any  refer- 
ence to  this  rather  discouraging  introduction  to  prac- 
tical missionary  life  in  India. 

Thoburn's  Missionary  Apprenticeship  mentions  in 
detail  some  of  the  perplexing  and  altogether  new  ques- 
tions which  came  before  the  Annual  Meeting ;  questions 
concerning  which  neither  precedence  nor  experience 
furnished  a  guide,  and  about  which  various  and  con- 
flicting opinions  were  not  only  possible  but  inevitable. 
He  says : 

We  had  not  sat  in  council  an  hour  before  perplexities 
began  to  meet  us.  The  first  question  raised  was  a  most 
important  one,  but  we  had  no  answer  ready  at  hand. 
Young  men  were  present  to  be  received  among  us,  but 
how  were  they  to  be  received  ?  The  Conference  mem- 
bership was  to  be  held  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe. 
We  had  no  legal  right  to  touch  them,  and  yet  we  could 
not  but  see  that  we  as  a  body  were  expected  to  do  some- 
thing in  the  premises,  and,  even  if  not  expected,  we  saw 

58 


THE  INDIA  MISSION 

at  a  glance  that  it  was  of  the  most  vital  importance  to 
the  future  harmony  and  efficiency  of  the  Mission  that 
we  should  have  something  to  say  in  the  matter.  Then 
a  most  important  question  arose  as  to  the  character  of 
the  work  to  which  we  were  to  be  assigned.  A  large  and 
important  school  had  been  offered  to  the  Mission,  and 
we  were  suddenly  called  upon  to  discuss  the  question 
of  education  as  a  missionary  agency  and  teaching  as  a 
legitimate  part  of  a  missionary's  duty.  We  had  first 
to  decide  whether  we  had  any  right  to  discuss  the  ques- 
tion at  all,  whether  the  authorities  at  New  York, 
through  the  superintendent,  should  fix  our  policy,  or 
whether  it  should  be  done  by  formal  action  of  the  mis- 
sionaries as  a  body.  Next  we  had  to  decide  whether 
we  should  establish  schools  or  confine  our  work  to 
preaching  alone.  Next,  if  schools  were  to  be  main- 
tained, what  kind  of  schools  were  to  be  established — 
vernacular,  or  Anglo- vernacular  ?  schools  for  Chris- 
tians only,  or  for  non-Christians  as  well?  And,  if  all 
these  questions  could  be  settled,  then  who  were  to  be 
the  teachers?  Was  every  missionary  to  be  subject  to 
an  appointment  to  the  work  of  teaching?  Was  a  man 
who  had  consecrated  all  his  days  to  the  one  work  of 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  find  himself  most  unexpectedly 
transformed  into  a  schoolmaster? 

At  this  Annual  Meeting  in  Lucknow,  Bijnor  was 
added  to  the  list  of  mission  stations,  making  a  total  of 
six  places  occupied  by  missionaries.  The  appointments 
furnish  an  interesting  item.  The  superintendent,  R. 
Pierce,  J.  Baume,  and  J.  A.  Cawdell  were  stationed  at 
Lucknow ;  J.  W.  Waugh  at  Shahjahanpur ;  J.  L.  Hum- 
phrey and  J.  R.  Downey  at  Bareilly;  J.  M.  Thoburn 
and  S.  Knowles  at  Naini  Tal ;  C.  W.  Judd  and  J.  Par- 
sons at  Moradabad ;  and  E.  W.  Parker  at  Bijnor.  One 
of  the  men  on  the  list  never  reached  his  appointment. 
J.  R.  Downey  fell  sick  soon  after  his  arrival  in  Luck- 

59 


now  and  on  September  17  his  body  was  laid  in  the 
Mission  cemetery  at  Hoosainabad. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  remained  in  Lucknow  a  few 
days  after  the  meeting  closed,  in  October;  then,  ac- 
companied as  far  as  Bareilly  by  Mrs.  Downey,  they 
continued  their  journey  to  Bijnor,  reaching  this  place 
on  October  19. 

Bijnor  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Luck- 
now,  but  the  Parkers  went  by  a  route  which  made  it 
over  three  hundred  miles.  From  Lucknow  to  Cawn- 
pore,  across  the  Ganges,  and  thence  along  the  south 
bank  of  that  river  to  Fatahgarh  they  had  a  fine  road 
and  traveled  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  horses.  The  re- 
maining one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  of  their  journey 
was  by  palanquin,  the  rate  of  progress  being  about  three 
miles  an  hour.  Leaving  Fatahgarh,  sacred  to  the 
memory  of  the  martyred  missionaries  of  1857,  they  re- 
crossed  the  Ganges ;  thence  on  to  Bareilly,  some  seventy 
miles,  their  way  led  through  the  fertile  valley  of  the 
Ram  Ganga.  From  Bareilly  to  Moradabad,  fifty-six 
miles,  their  way  continued  through  the  rich  but  at  that 
season  fever-stricken  plain  of  the  Ram  Ganga.  At 
Moradabad  they  crossed  the  stream,  and  traveling  due 
northwest  fifty-four  miles,  through  a  slightly  undulat- 
ing and  sandy  country,  they  reached  Bijnor,  four  miles 
from  the  Ganges. 

The  journey  was  made  at  the  beginning  of  the  cold 
season.  The  farmers  were  gathering  their  summer  or 
rainy-season  crops  and  getting  the  fields  ready  for  the 
cold-weather  crop.  The  young  Vermont  farmer  had, 
no  doubt,  his  own  ideas  about  Indian  farming,  and 
probably  began  making  plans  for  showing  these  people 

how  the  work  ought  to  be  done.    And  yet  his  farmer's 

60 


THE  INDIA  MISSION 

eye  could  not  fail  to  observe  the  high  agricultural  char- 
acter of  the  country.  Much  of  the  journey  was  made 
in  the  night,  unfortunately,  and  even  in  the  day  time 
opportunities  for  seeing  the  surrounding  country  were 
limited.  The  traveler  reclining  in  a  palanquin  barely 
twelve  inches  above  the  ground  is  liberally  covered 
with  dust  raised  by  the  feet  of  the  bearers ;  he  has  more 
than  sufficient  opportunity  for  tasting  and  smelling  the 

soil,  but  very  little  chance  for  seeing  it. 

61 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  II. — BIJNOR 

THE  energetic  superintendent  of  the  Mission  hac] 
made  the  necessary  arrangements  at  Bijnor.  A  house 
had  been  provided,  and  the  next  day  after  their  arrival 
Mr.  Parker  opened  his  commission  by  preaching  in  the 
streets,  the  late  Rev.  William  Plomer  serving  as  inter- 
preter. Mr.  Parker's  own  account  of  the  beginning  of 
his  missionary  work  is  interesting  because  it  shows  the 
spirit  and  manner  in  which  he  began  this  great  work : 

On  the  i4th  of  October,  1859,  we  arrived  at  Bijnor, 
our  first  station  in  India.  We  were  happy  thus  to  com- 
mence our  work,  and  we  had  great  faith,  strong  hopes, 
and  a  fixed  determination  to  do  all  we  could,  and  I  here 
record  that  God  blessed  our  labors  at  Bijnor.  On  the 
first  Sabbath  after  our  arrival  we  held  our  first  service 
under  a  tree ;  William,  our  native  helper,  preached  to  a 
little  congregation.  We  also  at  once  opened  class  meet- 
ings and  had  daily  prayers  with  our  servants,  a  custom 
we  have  ever  since  kept  up. 

From  the  faded  pages  of  the  Missionary  Advocate 
for  January,  1860,  is  taken  a  portion  of  Mr.  Parker's 
first  letter  to  the  Missionary  Secretary  at  New  York : 

We  came  here  to  commence  our  work  in  October, 
1859.  We  found  a  little  bungalow  ready  for  us.  It  is 
a  house  with  four  rooms,  built  high,  and  conveniently 
arranged,  situated  in  a  beautiful  grove  of  mango  trees. 
It  makes  us  a  much  more  pleasant  home  than  we  ever 
expected  to  have  in  India,  for  which  we  are  thankful. 
Our  field  of  labor  is  the  District  of  Bijnor,  which  con- 
tains about  seven  hundred  thousand  people.  The  city 
is  small,  but  there  are  several  large  towns  fifteen  or 

62 


BlJNOR 

twenty  miles  away,  and  a  number  of  places  having  over 
five  thousand  inhabitants.  Besides  our  work  in  Bijnor 
city,  we  have  been  in  nearly  all  the  important  places  of 
the  district.  This  is  an  excellent  field  for  itinerating, 
as  we  can  seldom  go  three  miles  in  any  direction  with- 
out finding  a  village,  so  that  on  our  way  to  the  cities  we 
can  preach  continually. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1859,  Mr.  Parker  gave,  as  he 
tells  us,  his  first  little  talk  in  the  bazaar.  This  was 
quick  work,  but  he  and  his  wife  were  diligent,  earnest 
students  and  had  had  nearly  five  months  preliminary 
study  on  shipboard.  There  is  no  record  of  that  first 
talk  in  the  Bijnor  bazaar.  Would  that  it  had  been 
taken  clown  with  all  its  inevitable  crudities !  Tradition 
says  that  another  of  the  Bostonians,  C.  W.  Judd,  in 
making  his  first  effort  in  Hindustani  gave  an  address 
of  six  words  which  covered  the  entire  ground.  It  took 
six  words  in  Hindustani  but  five  will  give  it  in  English, 
"Be  good;  die;  go  up."  From  such  feeble  beginnings 
are  efficient  missionaries  developed ! 

The  Parkers  remained  at  Bijnor  nearly  two  years. 
The  things  accomplished,  as  recorded  in  Mr.  Parker's 
journal,  show  a  good  beginning  for  new  missionaries 
who  were  opening  a  new  work :  "We  acquired  much  of 
the  language,  built  a  mission  house,  and  servants'  and 
teachers'  houses,  and  a  little  chapel.  We  also  collected 
a  little  church  of  eight  or  ten  members  and  as  many 
more  probationers,  and  a  school  of  some  thirty-five 
,  scholars."  The  following  extract  from  Dr.  Butler's 
correspondence  gives  a  fuller  account  of  what  was 
doing  at  Bijnor  in  1860: 

Bijnor  station   is  rising  in   interest  and  efficiency. 
Brother  Parker  is  a  hard-working  missionary.     What 

63 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

human  energy,  under  God's  blessing,  can  accomplish  he 
will  certainly  accomplish  if  God  spares  his  health  and 
life.  The  average  number  of  hearers  in  the  chapel  is 
fifty.  The  two  schools  are  in  successful  operation, 
thirty  attending  the  boys'  and  twenty  the  girls'  school ; 
the  latter  being  taught  by  Mrs.  Parker  and  the  wife  of 
the  native  preacher.  The  Sabbath  school  contains  forty 
scholars,  in  five  classes,  and  is  also  prosperous.  The 
building  of  the  mission  house  is  now  completed,  so  that 
more  time  can  be  given  to  preaching  in  the  future. 
After  the  Sabbath  evening  preaching  Brother  Parker 
holds  a  prayer  meeting  and  is  looking  for  the  power  of 
God  to  come  down  and  convert  the  hearers. 

The  Parkers  were  well  received  by  the  local  English 
officials,  who  also  contributed  liberally  to  their  support. 
In  a  letter  written  January  4,  1861,  the  following  grate- 
ful reference  to  this  matter  is  made : 

We  have  now  completed  a  little  chapel,  thirty-five 
feet  long  by  twenty-one  wide  inside.  We  dedicated  it 
to  God's  work  on  the  i8th  of  November,  1860.  Dr. 
Butler  was  present  and  preached  in  English  in  the 
morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  had  Hindustani 
preaching.  Our  hearts  were  full  of  joy  and  gratitude 
that  we  hac  :.t  last  a  place  for  the  worship  of  God  here, 
where  many  heathen  temples  rise,  but  where  until  now 
a  temple  to  the  living  God  had  never  been  erected.  It 
is  worthy  of  remark  that  our  few  European  friends  in 
Bijnor  gave  us  enough  to  build  the  chapel  and  nearly 
enough  to  build  the  native  helpers'  houses.  They  are 
truly  very  kind  and  liberal  to  us,  although  not  one  of 
them  is  a  Methodist.  They  attend  our  services  regu- 
larly on  the  Sabbath,  and  all  except  one  give  to  our 
Mission  for  its  local  expenses  sixty  rupees  a  year ;  and 
that  one  gives  a  little  less.  The  Europeans  of  India 
have  done  nobly  for  our  Mission  in  this  land.  May 
God  abundantly  reward  them,  and  may  India  soon  be- 
come a  land  whose  God  is  the  Lord. 

64 


BlJNOR 

While  busy  building  up  the  work  in  the  city  of 
Bijnor  the  work  among  the  towns  and  villages  was  not 
neglected.  In  a  letter  written  to  the  Messenger,  August 
12,  1860,  Mr.  Parker  tells  of  his  work  in  a  village  forty 
miles  from  Bijnor,  among  the  Sikhs,  and  of  a  visit 
made  to  the  place  in  July,  one  of  the  worst  months  of 
the  year  for  itinerating.  The  first  twenty  miles  was 
done  in  a  palanquin;  then  mounting  his  pony,  which 
had  been  sent  on  before,  he  rode  ten  miles.  There  he 
found  the  second  horse,  which  had  also  been  sent  on 
from  Bijnor,  and  so  reached  the  Sikh  village  a  little 
after  sunrise.  Some  missionaries  would  not  consider  it 
practicable  to  visit  an  outstation  forty  miles  distant  in 
the  height  of  the  rains,  traveling  over  country  roads 
where  only  an  ox  cart  could  go,  with  no  bungalows  and 
only  a  native  house  and  native  accommodations  at  the 
end  of  the  journey.  But  Mr.  Parker  was  a  first-class 
itinerant,  and  he  kept  up  his  itinerating  habits  to  the 
end. 

Before  the  new  missionaries  had  completed  their  first 
full  year  at  Bijnor  the  dark  shadow  of  famine  began  to 
fall  upon  the  land.  The  plains  of  Rohilkhand  received 
a  scant  supply  of  rain  in  the  season  of  1860  and  the 
summer  crops  were  almost  a  total  failure.  In  October 
and  November  the  farmers  sowed  their  wheat,  barley, 
and  other  winter  crops,  but  the  fields  were  dry  and  the 
seed  did  not  germinate ;  the  usual  Christmas  rains  also 
failed  and  famine  followed.  Relief  works  were  opened 
by  the  government  and  much  was  done  to  save  the  lives 
of  the  starving  people.  Mr.  Parker  became  a  member 
of  the  local  famine  relief  committee.  From  a  letter  of 
February  18,  1861,  the  following  account  of  his  first 
famine  experiences  is  taken  : 

(5)  6s 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

The  famine  is  steadily  increasing  and  will  continue 
to  increase  for  at  least  four  months  more.  There  are 
now  thousands  of  families  in  the  northwest  who  only 
eat  one  meal  a  day,  many  more  cannot  get  even  this, 
and  a  few  are  starving  to  death.  A  laboring  man, 
when  he  can  find  work,  can  barely  earn  enough  to  buy 
his  own  food,  and  were  it  not  for  the  relief  fund  many 
women  and  children  must  starve.  In  Bijnor  we  daily 
feed  from  four  to  five  hundred.  It  is  pitiful  to  see  the 
poor  half-starved  creatures  pleading  for  food.  This 
afternoon  as  I  went  toward  the  large  yard  where  the 
poor  are  fed  I  found  all  the  field  around  crowded  with 
hungry  people.  We  selected  from  among  these  all  who 
were  able  to  work  and,  directing  them  where  to  find 
work,  fed  them  and  sent  them  away.  The  others  we 
placed  in  rows  and  found  there  were  over  five  hundred. 
Some  of  these  were  very  old,  many  were  women  with 
young  children,  others  were  weak  and  trembling  for 
want  of  food.  Apparently  all  were  half  starved. 
When  all  were  arranged  we  commenced  the  distribution 
of  bread.  We  found  this  no  easy  task,  for  as  soon  as 
the  bread  was  seen  there  was  a  general  rush  and  cry  for 
it.  Those  that  received  food  hid  it  in  their  clothes  and 
again  rushed  into  the  crowd  for  more,  or  if  kept  sep- 
arate they  would  rob  each  other,  and  thus  with  their 
quarreling  continue  the  confusion.  It  is  dreadful  to  see 
the  poor  half-starved  creatures,  with  outstretched  hands 
and  open  mouths,  rush  and  scream  for  bread ;  and  after 
we  have  given  them  all  we  can  allow  they  cry  for  more 
and  cling  to  us  so  that  it  is  with  difficulty  we  leave 
them. 

These  early  famine  experiences  brought  home  to  the 
heart  of  the  young  missionary  a  new  conviction  of  the 
needs  of  India  and  the  varied  claims  of  her  millions  for 
the  sympathy  and  help  of  Christian  philanthropists. 
The  famine  interfered  with  his  work.  It  stopped  his 

itinerating,  and  for  a  while  it  seemed  as  though  he  had 

66 


BlJNOR 

left  "the  word  of  God"  to  "serve  tables."  But  it  was 
unavoidable  duty,  and,  whether  he  knew  it  or  not,  the 
process  of  his  education  for  mission  work  in  India  was 
advancing  very  rapidly  in  those  days.  Again  and 
again  during  his  Indian  service  was  he  called  to  witness 
and  in  this  way  share  the  sufferings  of  the  famine- 
stricken  people. 

Famine  was  not  the  only  interruption  to  their  work. 
From  the  beginning  India  had  given  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Parker  a  characteristic  welcome  by  making  them  suf- 
ferers from  malarial  fever.  They  entered  the  country 
at  an  unpropitious  time.  September  and  October  are 
in  North  India  the  most  unhealthy  months  of  the  year, 
and  particularly  so  to  fever  subjects,  and  from  the  very 
first  it  was  evident  that  the  Parkers  would  have  their 
share  of  the  good  things  of  the  season.  The  fever 
caught  them  while  yet  at  Lucknow,  and  partly  on  this 
account  their  departure  for  Bijnor  was  delayed  until 
the  second  week  of  October.  Although  the  official 
gazette  affirms  that  Bijnor  has  the  best  climate  of  any 
Plains  station  of  the  Northwest  Provinces,  yet  Mr. 
Parker  was  obliged  to  record  in  his  journal  the  fact 
that  both  Mrs.  Parker  and  himself  suffered  much  from 
illness  during  their  two  years  at  Bijnor.  In  1860  Mrs. 
Parker's  severe  illness  made  it  necessary  to  leave  their 
work  and  take  refuge  in  Naini  Tal.  In  1861  Mr.  Par- 
ker had  the  smallpox.  This  was  followed  by  an  attack 
of  peritonitis  which  nearly  proved  fatal,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  spend  August  and  September  and  part  of 
October  in  Naini  Tal.  The  civil  surgeon  at  Bijnor  was 
unremitting  in  professional  care  of  the  sick  missionary. 
Mr.  Parker  wrote  in  his  journal  a  grateful  acknowl- 
edgment of  his  indebtedness  to  the  good  physician. 

67 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Reviewing  his  experiences  at  Bijnor  he  closes  the  record 
with  the  following : 

Exposure  to  sun  and  excessive  work  so  injured  my 
health  that  I  have  not  been  well  since  April.  I  tried  to 
regain  health  and  strength  at  Bijnor,  but  was  obliged 
to  come  to  the  hills,  where  I  remained  a  number  of 
weeks.  My  health  is  now  much  improved,  and  I  hope 
soon  to  be  equal  to  my  work,  so  far  as  bodily  health  is 
concerned.  As  goodness  and  mercy  have  thus  far  fol- 
lowed me,  so  I  trust  they  will  follow  me  through  life. 
I  "feel  like  recording  here  the  gratitude  I  feel  toward 
Dr.  G.  Grant,  of  Bijnor,  for  his  great  kindness  to  us 
while  there.  Night  and  day  he  watched  over  me  when 
sick,  and  I  feel  that  it  was  mainly  owing  to  his  efforts, 
by  God's  blessing,  that  I  was  raised  up.  He  was  very, 
very  kind,  and  would  accept  no  compensation  for  his 
services. 

While  resting  and  recuperating  at  Naini  Tal  Mr. 
Parker  was  appointed  to  the  Lakhimpur  Circuit,  in 
Oudh,  in  order  that  he  might  have  charge  of  the  Chris- 
tian agricultural  colony  which  was  to  be  planted  in  that 
locality.  He  remained  at  Naini  Tal  while  Mrs.  Parker 
went  down  to  Bijnor,  packed  up  the  household  goods, 
and  sent  them  off  by  carts  to  Lakhimpur,  over  two  hun- 
dred miles  distant,  collected  and  sent  off  the  Christian 
farmers  who  were  to  form  the  nucleus  of  the  colony, 
settled  all  business  matters  at  Bijnor,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Naini  Tal.  By  this  time  Mr.  Parker  was  in 
better  health,  though  by  no  means  fully  recovered.  But 
as  the  new  settlers  had  gone  on  to  Lakhimpur  the  mis- 
sionaries must  go  too.  They  left  Naini  Tal,  traveling 
via  Bareilly  and  Shahjahanpur  to  Lakhimpur;  and  thus 
ended  the  trying,  laborious,  promising  and  yet  dis- 
couraging Bijnor  chapter  of  their  missionary  life, 

68 


WESLEYPORE 


CHAPTER  III. — WESLEYPORE 

PERSECUTION  has  been  the  universal  and  inevitable 
portion  of  the  Christian  convert  from  the  days  of 
Stephen  until  now,  and  Christian  converts  in  India 
have  their  share  in  the  common  experience. 

The  old  and  highly  organized  civilization  of  India, 
with  its  economic  conditions  based  upon  religion,  is 
necessarily  disturbed  and  disorganized  if  not  almost 
destroyed  by  change  of  faith.  The  bonds  of  family  and 
social  and  even  business  life  are  severed  by  perversion 
from  the  ancestral  creed.  The  estrangement  and  ostra- 
cism and  loss  of  employment  which  become  the  lot  of 
the  convert  are  the  inevitable  result  of  the  condition  of 
things.  The  Hindu  father  disowns  his  son  who  has 
become  a  Christian,  because  he  has  to  do  it.  The  neces- 
sity for  removing  from  the  house  the  dead  body  of  a 
dear  child  is  scarcely  more  imperative  than  the  necessity 
for  severing  all  connection  with  the  convert.  Hence 
follow  persecutions;  and  in  India,  where  Christian  mis- 
sionaries are  of  the  same  race  and  creed  as  the  rulers  of 
the  land,  converts  naturally  look  to  them  for  protection 
and  all  that  it  implies.  And  missionaries,  following  the 
impulse  of  the  heart  rather  than  the  voice  of  reason, 
have  generally  responded  to  the  appeal  of  the  convert 
and  assumed  the  responsibility  of  protecting  him  from 
personal  violence  and  in  some  way  providing  for  his 
daily  bread. 

The  landlords  of  India  are  not  Christians,  and  hence 

when  the  farmers  who  till  their  fields  as  tenants  or  work 

69 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

for  them  as  laborers  become  Christians  they  are  dis- 
possessed of  their  lands  and  no  longer  given  work. 
Hence  arose  the  idea  of  Christian  villages.  Let  the 
Mission  become  landlord;  then  the  dispossessed  tenant 
farmers  and  laborers  can  settle  on  this  land.  A  double 
advantage  will  be  gained  :  the  converts  are  provided  for 
and  a  Christian  settlement  is  established  which  is  to  be 
a  center  of  Christian  light  and  influence,  benefiting  the 
whole  region  round  about.  The  theory  is  a  beautiful 
one.  And  so  when,  in  1861,  large  numbers  of  Sikh 
agriculturalists  in  Moradabad  and  Bijnor  accepted 
Christianity  and  began  to  feel  the  force  of  persecution 
the  enterprising  and  energetic  superintendent  said, 
"We  must  have  a  Christian  village  for  these  people," 
and  the  missionaries  said,  "We  must  have  a  village," 
and  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  called 
Wesleypore,  one  of  the  most  unfortunate  enterprises 
in  the  annals  of  India  missions. 

With  William  Butler,  to  decide  was  to  act;  and  it 
was  not  long  until  he  had  found  a  tract  of  land  for  the 
settlement,  had  secured  possession,  and  had  also  in  his 
own  mind  decided  that  the  Vermont  farmer,  who  had 
shown  himself  to  be  a  most  energetic,  industrious,  and 
practical  man,  and  who  with  his  equally  capable  wife 
had  made  such  a  good  beginning  at  Bijnor,  was  the 
providentially  appointed  man  to  take  charge  of  this 
grand  enterprise.  And,  providentially  too,  just  at  the 
time  the  superintendent  wished  to  break  the  matter  to 
the  Parkers  they  were  driven  by  sickness  from  Bijnor 
to  Naini  Tal,  where  Dr.  Butler  lived.  But,  as  though 
restrained  by  premonition  of  impending  disaster,  the 
Parkers  were  reluctant  listeners  to  the  superintendent's 

plans,  though  set  forth  with  his  persuasive  eloquence. 

70 


WESLEYPORE 

Mr.  Parker  in  his  journal  writes,  "We  would  have  pre- 
ferred remaining  at  Bijnor,  but  we  go  as  sent,  hoping 
there  may  be  a  providence  in  all." 

This  arrangement  was  made  late  in  September,  and 
on  the  9th  of  October,  1861,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  were 
at  their  new  appointment,  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  southeast  from  Bijnor.  Lakhimpur  had  been  oc- 
cupied as  a  station  of  the  Mission  early  in  1861,  and  the 
land  for  the  Christian  settlement  was  in  the  jungle, 
twenty  miles  from  this  place.  On  arriving  at  Lakhim- 
pur the  Parkers  found  only  "a  temporary  mud  house, 
and  no  regular  plans  for  work  except  an  English  Sab- 
bath service."  At  Bijnor  they  had  had  a  comfortable 
home,  and  various  branches  of  mission  work  were  in 
full  operation.  Concerning  their  feelings  on  arriving 
at  Lakhimpur  Mr.  Parker  writes:  "We  desire  to  be 
happy  in  this  work,  but  it  is  hard  to  leave  our  home  at 
Bijnor,  for  we  had  supposed  we  were  fixtures  there. 
Mrs.  Parker  especially  felt  the  change,  yet  submits 
cheerfully ;  we  bring  our  people  with  us,  which  makes 
it  more  pleasant."  The  people  referred  to  are  the 
native  preacher,  William  Plomer,  and  the  Sikhs  who 
were  to  begin  the  Christian  colony. 

The  story  of  beginning  at  Wesleypore,  the  name 
given  the  new  colony,  written  by  Mr.  Parker,  June  30, 
1862,  and  published  in  the  Vermont  Messenger,  shows 
with  what  high  hopes  the  work  was  commenced.  The 
fact  that  within  less  than  a  year  from  the  time  this  ac- 
count was  written  the  surviving  settlers  had  fled  from 
the  place,  the  enterprise  had  been  abandoned  and  the 
land  sold,  is  a  sad  illustration  of  the  blindness  of  human 
hope.  But  here  is  the  bright  side  of  the  story,  written 
by  Mr.  Parker  himself: 

71 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Wesleypore  is  situated  in  one  of  the  most  fertile  dis- 
tricts of  the  Province  of  Ottdh.  It  is  about  twenty 
miles  from  Lakhimpur  and  easy  of  access  for  all  the 
stations  of  the  Mission.  The  land  is  bounded  on  two 
sides  by  a  small  winding  river.  On  this  river  are 
several  hundred  acres  of  fine  meadow  land  now  covered 
with  tall  grass,  like  our  Western  prairies.  This  land  is 
under  water  during  the  rains,  thus  making  it  excellent 
land  for  rice  in  the  rainy  season  and  for  wheat  and  bar- 
ley in  the  cold  season.  The  rice  is  sown  as  the  first  rain 
falls,  about  the  middle  of  June,  and  grows  up  through 
the  water  and  is  found  "after  many  days."  It  is  usually 
harvested  in  October,  after  which,  as  the  land  dries, 
wheat  or  barley  is  sown  and  is  harvested  in  March  or 
April.  The  remainder  of  our  land  is  a  little  higher,  all 
very  level  and  fertile.  Water  is  excellent  here  and  is 
found  at  a  depth  of  ten  feet,  making  it  easy  to  provide 
for  watering  the  fields  in  the  dry  season.  We  have  five 
thousand  acres  which  we  received  from  the  government 
as  a  grant  on  condition  that  the  land  now  covered  with 
forest  be  brought  under  cultivation  within  a  certain 
number  of  years,  after  which  time  a  certain  portion  of 
the  profits  from  the  land  must  be  paid  to  government. 

The  work  here  was  commenced  last  October,  at 
which  time  Dr.  Butler  and  I,  with  about  twenty  native 
Christians,  came  here.  We  spent  the  first  day  in  select- 
ing a  site  for  our  village,  which  we  finally  located  on 
the  main  road  leading  from  Lakhimpur  to  Pilibheet, 
near  the  center  of  our  land,  in  the  midst  of  a  dense  for- 
est. We  sent  immediately  for  our  tent  and  baggage, 
built  a  large  fire  and  made  arrangements  for  the  night. 
While  I  pitched  the  tent  and  arranged  our  baggage  Dr. 
Butler  attended  to  the  supper,  which  was  quite  impor- 
tant, as  we  left  home  at  midnight,  had  been  on  our  feet 
all  day,  and  up  to  this  time,  nine  in  the  evening,  we 
had  eaten  neither  breakfast  nor  dinner.  After  our  sup- 
per, all  our  people  having  come  together,  we  sang  a 
hymn  in  Hindustani  and  sought  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  the  place,  the  people,  and  ourselves,  praying  that 

72 


WESLEY  PORE 

this  wilderness  might  be  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose, 
materially  and  morally.  Next  morning  work  com- 
menced. Some  of  the  men  dug  a  well,  some  cleared  a 
place  for  houses,  and  others  prepared  materials  for 
building.  In  a  few  days  a  spot  was  cleared  and  our 
temporary  buildings  commenced.  They  were  made  of 
poles  and  grass,  and  were  built  on  three  sides  of  a 
square,  while  our  tent  was  pitched  in  the  center  of  the 
fourth  side,  thus  leaving  an  open  court  into  which  all 
the  doors  of  the  houses  opened.  We  build  in  this  way 
as  a  protection  against  the  winds  and  wild  beasts. 

When  these  temporary  arrangements  were  completed 
the  men  sent  for  their  families.  Mrs.  Parker  also  came 
out,  and  for  weeks  we  lived  among  the  people  in  a  small 
tent  which  served  also  as  a  chapel  and  schoolhouse  for 
the  village.  We  had  not  been  here  long  before  many 
of  our  people  were  taken  sick  with  fever  and  ague. 
This  nearly  put  a  stop  to  all  our  work.  Just  before  this 
we  had  gone  to  Sitapur,  a  station  thirty  miles  beyond 
Lakhimpur.  Returning  to  Lakhimpur  we  found  a  let- 
ter from  William  Plomer,  the  native  preacher,  saying 
that  he  and  nearly  all  the  men  of  the  village  were  sick. 
Leaving  our  work  in  Lakhimpur  we  hastened  to  the 
village  and  found,  as  we  had  suspected,  that  much  of 
the  sickness  was  imaginary.  A  few  were  really  very 
ill ;  the  remainder,  fearing  that  all  were  to  die,  had  be- 
come discouraged  and  imagined  that  they  were  also 
suffering.  They  were  talking  to  William  as  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  talked  to  Moses,  saying,  "Why  have  ye 
taken  us  from  our  former  homes  of  ease  and  plenty  to 
die  in  this  wilderness?"  How  soon  do  people  forget 
the  past !  Many  times  had  these  people  said  to  William 
and  to  me:  "We  are  so  scattered  that  we  cannot  edu- 
cate our  children  nor  have  the  privileges  of  Christian 
worship ;  and  since  we  became  Christians  the  landhold- 
ers will  not  allow  us  to  work  their  fields,  and  we  are  in 
great  trouble  for  food  and  clothes.  Help  us  that  we 
may  have  a  village  where,  as  Christians,  we  can  live  to- 
gether, educate  our  children,  and  learn  more  of  Chris- 

73 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

tianity  ourselves."  And  now  when  we  are  trying  to 
assist  them  they  are,  as  William  says,  always  murmur- 
ing against  us.  Old  trials  were  forgotten.  Only  the 
"leeks  and  onions  of  Egypt"  were  remembered,  and 
compared  with  the  trials  of  the  wilderness.  In  this  way 
we  found  our  people — some  ill,  others  discouraged,  and 
the  rest  murmuring,  and  poor  William  was  very  much 
tried,  tempted,  and  perplexed.  We  gave  medicine  to 
the  sick,  cheered  the  discouraged,  reproved  the  discon- 
tented, and  the  next  morning  we  had  eighteen  out  of 
the  twenty- four  sick  ones  at 'their  work.  Our  work 
was,  however,  for  some  time  very  much  hindered  by 
fever  and  ague  among  the  people. 

Notwithstanding  all  our  hindrances,  our  work  has 
gone  on  steadily  and  rapidly,  and  where  a  few  months 
since  a  forest  stood  there  is  now  a  village  with  gardens 
and  fields  of  grain.  The  principal  road  through  our 
land  forms  the  main  street  of  our  village.  The  farm- 
houses are  arranged  on  three  streets  which  cross  the 
main  street  at  right  angles  and  extend  to  the  borders 
of  our  land.  On  either  side  of  all  these  roads  we  design 
having  beautiful  fruit  trees.  There  is  no  village  or 
town  in  all  India  at  all  like  what  Wesleypore  will  be. 
It  may  be  well  also  to  remark  that  at  present  a  more 
contented  and  happy  people  than  the  residents  of  this 
village  cannot  be  found  in  this  country.  All  are  now 
busily  engaged  preparing  their  fields  for  rice  and  cot- 
ton. I  endeavor  to  assist  them  in  clearing  their  land 
and  cultivating  their  fields  by  giving  them  the  benefit 
of  my  experience  as  a  Vermont  farmer's  son.  I  am 
also  introducing  some  American  agricultural  imple- 
ments, such  as  axes,  plows,  and  harrows.  The  people 
are  greatly  pleased  with  the  axes  and  also  with  the  har- 
rows, a  thing  before  unknown  to  them.  We  have  not 
yet  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  plow  light  enough  to  be 
used  profitably  with  the  oxen  of  the  country. 

To  properly  apprehend  the  indomitable  hopefulness 
and  splendid  optimism  of  this  Wesleypore  letter  it  is 

74 


WESLEYPORE 

necessary  to  keep  in  mind  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  written.  Mr.  Parker  came  to  Wesleypore 
partially  convalescent  from  severe  illness  at  Bijnor,  and 
during  the  fifteen  months  of  his  stay  at  Lakhimpur  and 
Wesleypore  not  a  month  passed  in  which  he  was  free 
from  attacks  of  disease.  The  handful  of  village  farm- 
ers for  whose  sake  he  was  giving  his  time  and  service 
and  risking  his  life  were  a  constant  source  of  trial  and 
discouragement.  He  had  not  yet  learned  that  such 
people  are  in  most  respects  children,  and  that  the  same 
patience  and  consideration  which  must  be  practiced  in 
dealing  with  children  were  necessary  in  dealing  with 
them.  He  thought  they  were  men,  and  he  expected 
them  to  be  men  in  all  things,  and  was  daily  disap- 
pointed. There  was  trouble,  too,  with  the  superin- 
tendent in  regard  to  the  business  side  of  the  Wesley- 
pore  enterprise.  Mr.  Parker  wished  to  have  the  man- 
agement in  his  own  hands,  in  definite  business  style. 
The  superintendent  hesitated  about  giving  such  power 
and  responsibility  to  the  young  missionary,  and  five 
months  passed  before  the  matter  was  finally  adjusted. 

Four  months  after  commencing  work  at  Lakhimpur 
the  station  was  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  the  Rev. 
W.  W.  Hicks  and  wife  from  America.  Mr.  Hicks  was 
a  man  of  marked  ability,  an  eloquent  preacher,  but  alto- 
gether inexperienced  in  such  matters  as  building  mis- 
sion houses  and  looking  after  workmen,  and  he  too 
was  at  times  a  trial  to  his  practical,  punctual,  systematic 
colleague.  In  addition  to  these  things  it  began  to  be 
apparent  that  the  people  for  whose  sake  the  village  had 
been  prepared  were  unwilling  to  come  and  occupy  it. 
Sinister  rumors  of  sickness  and  death  at  Wesleypore 
began  to  spread  among  the  Sikhs  in  the  Northwest  and 

75 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

the  people  were  afraid  to  come.  There  was  in  fact 
everything  to  worry  and  discourage  those  who  were 
trying  to  build  up  Wesleypore,  and  under  these  circum- 
stances the  letter  was  written. 

As  the  purpose  of  this  memoir  is  to  give,  so  far  as 
practicable,  a  correct  picture  of  the  man  and  his  work, 
a  series  of  extracts  from  Mr.  Parker's  private  journal, 
written  at  Lakhimpur  and  Wesleypore,  are  here  given. 
The  first  item  bears  no  date,  but  it  was  evidently  writ- 
ten shortly  after  commencing  work  at  Lakhimpur: 

In  reviewing  my  life  I  find  that  I  have  often  in  many 
respects  failed  to  accomplish  all  I  would  or  should  have 
done.  I  find  that  I  have  put  my  hand  to  many  things 
that  I  did  not  complete.  I  have  laid  many  plans  with- 
out carrying  them  out,  and  this  has  been  on  account  of 
two  things :  plans  have  been  made  too  hastily  and  with- 
out reflection,  which  afterward  proved  to  be  inex- 
pedient. And  plans  well  formed  have  been,  I  fear,  neg- 
lected for  want  of  proper  decision  or  perseverance.  I 
desire  to  improve  in  this  respect  in  the  future,  and  with 
deliberation  lay  out  my  work  and  with  energy  and  per- 
severance do  it.  There  is  work  for  all  my  powers  in 
this  work  now  undertaken,  and  I  desire  to  be  all  the 
Lord's,  that  I  may  employ  all  my  faculties  of  body  and 
mind  as  I  ought. 

Nov.  4,  1 86 1.  Monday  is  a  lazy  day  for  me,  as  I 
get  so  tired  on  Sunday.  I  was  quite  ill  yesterday  after 
preaching,  and  was  unable  to  attend  the  evening  serv- 
ice. I  enjoyed  preaching  and  was  thankful  to  be  able 
to  preach  once  more,  as  it  is  now  three  months  since  I 
have  preached  regularly. 

Nov.  8.  This  is  a  most  beautiful  morning.  The 
weather  is  getting  cool  and  morning  and  evening  it  is 
very  pleasant.  God  has  made  this  a  truly  beautiful 
country  for  those  who  care  for  country  life.  But  the 
people !  O,  the  depth  of  degradation,  the  perfection  of 

76 


WESLEYPORE 

deceitfulness  that  is  found  in  them!  Their  deceitful- 
ness  is  to  me  a  great  trial  continually.  I  am  making 
great  effort  to  avoid  all  wrong  feeling  toward  the  peo- 
ple, notwithstanding  their  wickedness.  I  do  love  them 
and  pity  them. 

Nov.  10.  Philip  preached  to-day  from  John  iii,  14: 
The  brazen  serpent.  He  did  not  get  off  much  of  a  ser- 
mon. This  evening  we  had  an  interesting  prayer  meet- 
ing. I  had  a  good  time  praying  with  the  poor  natives 
and  also  in  talking  to  them  of  the  earthly  and  the  heav- 
enly treasure.  May  God  make  our  little  church  here  an 
honor  to  his  name,  and  multiply  it  daily !  O  for  heav- 
enly light  and  power!  My  own  heart  has  been  drawn 
out  in  love  to  God  and  his  cause  to-day  more  than 
usual.  I  have  also  felt  a  strong  desire  to  be  more  holy, 
more  devoted,  and  more  useful.  O,  my  Lord,  grant 
me  grace  for  all  thy  work ! 

To-day  my  thoughts  have  been  turned  homeward. 
O,  parents,  brothers,  sisters,  how  my  heart  clings  to 
you!  How  I  long  to  see  you!  How  truly  do  I  love 
you !  Yet  I  have  little  hope  that  I  may  ever  meet  you 
in  this  world  again.  I  can  but  hope  that  I  may  one  day 
meet  you  all  in  heaven. 

Dec.  1 8.  To-day  came  in  from  the  grant  (Wesley- 
pore).  The  people  give  us  much  trouble  with  their  lack 
of  interest  in  their  work.  They  think  we  are  under 
great  obligation  to  them  for  coming  to  form  a  village. 
Many  have  been  sick  and  one  has  died.  May  God  yet 
bless  our  efforts  to  great  good !  We  have  sent-  home 
orders  for  a  "horse  power"  for  village  work  with 
thresher  and  sawyer. 

Jan.  25,  1862.  Cutting  jungle  as  usual.  Our  work- 
goes  on  very  slowly,  yet  takes  a  great  deal  of  money. 
We  meet  many  trials  here,  and  often  know  not  what  to 
do.  O  for  grace  to  direct  and  help!  The  people  fear 
on  account  of  sickness,  and  this  troubles  us  much. 

Feb.  25.  Dr.  Butler  came  as  arranged  for,  and 
Brother  Hicks  is  duly  appointed  to  Lakhimpur  with 
us.  The  deeds  for  the  grant  are  also  all  right.  The 

77 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

land  is  made  over  to  Brother  Hicks  and  myself.  We 
are  to  carry  it  on,  and  make  it  over  to  the  Mission  at  the 
end  of  eleven  years.  Or  if  the  Mission  buy  they  buy 
with  all  the  debts. 

Feb.  26.  Philip  resigned  to-day.  I  accepted  his 
resignation,  and  then  he  begged  to  come  back.  But  I 
said,  No.  He  is  a  useless  man  entirely,  and  we  were 
all  glad  to  have  him  leave.  I  hope  that  he  may  grow 
better  and  at  last  get  to  heaven. 

March  10.  Last  week  some  of  our  people  ran  away 
from  Wesleypore  and  I  had  to  hurry  out  to  keep  all 
quiet.  I  find  that  the  people  are  filled  with  fear  on  ac- 
count of  sickness.  We  had  expected  many  from  the 
North,  but  none  came,  and  I  fear  they  do  not  intend  to 
come.  This  perplexes  me.  We  are  spending  much 
money  on  the  grant,  and  if  the  Christians  do  not  come 
I  hardly  know  what  we  are  to  do.  Sometimes  I  fear 
that  this  is  not  the  right  plan,  or  at  least  the  right  local- 
ity. But  I  am  determined  to  go  on  with  it  one  year  and 
see  what  can  be  done. 

April  30.  We  find  it  hard  sometimes  to  be  so  much 
separated  from  congenial  friends.  We  have  many 
friends  among  our  Christians,  but  they  cannot  take  the 
place  of  our  own  countrymen.  We  love  them,  how- 
ever, and  they  love  us,  and  this  makes  up  for  much  that 
is  wanting.  Our  great  trial,  however,  is  not  our  separa- 
tion from  friends,  but  in  not  having  a  comfortable  place 
to  live.  We  first  tried  a  little  mud  house,  but  found  it 
too  hot.  We  then  moved  to  another,  and  there  found  a 
little  more  protection  from  heat,  but  rain  comes  in  free- 
ly. We  have  long  lived  in  hope  of  having  a  home  to 
live  in,  and  we  now  feel  that  we  must  have  a  house,  and 
that  soon.  But  my  heart  is  in  my  work.  I  love  my 
Jesus  and  the  work  he  has  given  me  to  do.  I  feel  happy 
in  my  work.  This  secular  work  weighs  heavily,  and  I 
desire  soon  to  throw  it  off  that  I  may  attend  to  the 
school  and  preaching.  My  heart  goes  out  at  times 
toward  home,  and  I  hope  to  live  to  see  loved  ones  once 
more,  if  God  wills. 

78 


WESLEYPORE 

Oct.  13.  Since  May  my  health  has  been  very  poor 
and  my  labors  and  cares  many.  On  account  of  Brother 
Hicks's  departure  the  entire  work  of  Lakhimpur  and 
Wesleypore  came  upon  me.  During  July  our  people  at 
Wesleypore  began  to  sicken,  and  this  continued  until 
nearly  all  were  down  with  fever  and  many  died.  We 
then  removed  them  all  to  Lakhimpur,  where  we  our- 
selves were.  Our  grant  was  intrusted  to  eight  watch- 
men who  looked  after  the  growing  crops  and  protected 
the  village.  Our  sickness  increasing,  Mrs.  Parker  and 
I  went  to  Sitapur  for  a  time,  where  we  got  much  better. 
Often,  however,  I  suffer  from  fever  and  liver  com- 
plaint. Some  thirty  of  our  Christians  have  died;  we 
are  now  very  doubtful  about  our  location,  it  is  so  sickly, 
and  begin  to  think  it  may  be  necessary  to  locate  our 
Christian  village  somewhere  else. 

Oct.  20.  I  am  glad  that  with  cares,  anxieties,  and 
perplexities,  and  with  severe  illness,  I  can  trust  in  God. 
God  is  mine.  I  feel  it.  I  have  a  desire  and  a  deter- 
mination to  leave  secular  work  and  get  at  real  spiritual 
work.  Conscience  will  not  let  me  go  on.  I  must  get 
away  from  here  for  health's  sake  and  for  conscience' 
sake.  May  God  direct  us ! 

The  journal  from  which  these  extracts  have  been 
taken  was  not  written  for  the  public.  Few  India  mis- 
sionaries know  anything  of  the  Wesleypore  affair,  or 
have  ever  heard  that  any  missionaries  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  India  passed  through  such  suffer- 
ings and  trials  as  were  borne  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker. 
The  record  shows  that  the  days  of  heroic  self-sacrifice 
have  not  yet  ended.  And  these  extracts  show  that  Mr. 
Parker's  piety  was  not  professional.  Every  page  of  the 
journal  reveals  the  sincerity  of  his  piety  and  his  abso- 
lute loyalty  to  God.  The  journal,  however,  is  incom- 
plete. It  makes  no  mention  of  the  personal  service  ren- 
dered the  sick  and  dying  at  Wesleypore  by  Mr.  and 

79 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Mrs.  Parker.  Themselves  suffering  from  fever,  they 
ministered  to  the  sick  with  their  own  hands  day  and 
night,  prayed  with  them,  tried  to  comfort  and  cheer 
them,  as  they  would  have  done  had  the  sufferers  been 
of  their  own  flesh  and  blood.  And  there  is  no  mention 
of  the  fearful  day  when  devouring  flames  in  a  few 
moments  consumed  the  grass  huts  in  which  the  people 
lived  and  left  them  with  no  other  shelter  than  the  trees 
of  the  forest.  The  men  were  all  at  work  in  the  fields 
when  the  fire  broke  out  and  nearly  everything  in  the 
houses  was  destroyed  before  help  arrived.  One  man, 
named  Gurdyal,  the  first  man  Mr.  Parker  baptized  in 
India,  had  a  Hindi  Bible,  purchased  with  money  given 
Mr.  Parker  at  Concord  and  which  was  to  be  spent  for 
a  Bible  to  be  given  to  his  first  convert.  This  Bible  was 
all  that  Gurdyal  saved  from  his  house.  He  said,  "I 
have  my  Bible ;  let  the  rest  go."  The  book  is,  no  doubt, 
still  in  the  family.  This  man  afterward  became  a  faith- 
ful preacher,  and  in  his  last  illness  in  his  delirium  he 
was  constantly  exhorting  those  about  him  to  be  faith- 
ful in  the  work  God  had  given  them  to  do.  This  man's 
twin  brother,  Manphul,  still  lives,  and  works  in  the 
Sambhal  District.  A  woman  who  had  gone  to  the  river 
for  water  reached  her  burning  house  just  in  time  to 
save  her  babe  from  the  fire.  She  snatched  up  the  child 
and  said,  "Never  mind  about  the  things ;  I  have  saved 
my  baby."  The  missionaries  were  surprised  at  the 
quiet  way  in  which  all  the  people  bore  the  loss  of  all 
they  had.  But  their  patience  was  simply  a  part  of  that 
indolent  nature  which  was  such  a  trial  to  the  Vermont 
farmer  missionary.  It  is  in  the  air  of  India,  and  in  the 
blood  of  the  people.  It  is  partly  the  outcropping  of  the 

omnipresent  fatalism  of  the  oriental  world,  and  partly 

80 


WESLEYPORE 

the  result  of  the  absence  of  hope  or  expectation  of 
better  things. 

On  the  ninth  of  October,  1861,  the  Parkers  began 
their  work  at  Lakhimpur,  and  just  two  weeks  later  the 
Rev.  J.  T.  Gracey  and  wife  arrived  from  America  and 
occupied  the  new  station  of  Sitapur,  a  short  thirty  miles 
from  Lakhimpur.  The  Graceys  and  Parkers  soon 
found  each  other.  They  were  congenial  friends  and 
fellow-workers,  a  comfort  and  inspiration  to  each  other. 
Mr.  Parker's  journal  tells  of  frequent  visits  to  Sitapur 
and  of  visits  from  the  Graceys  at  Lakhimpur  and  Wes- 
leypore.  Plans  for  work  and  schemes  practical  and 
visionary  were  discussed  and  sometimes  attempted. 
The  journal  says  that  in  May,  1862,  a  mutual  improve- 
ment missionary  association  was  organized  at  Sitapur, 
to  include  the  Oudh  missionaries  as  well  as  those  at 
Shahjahanpur.  The  association  also  included  the 
native  helpers,  and  at  its  first  meeting  essays  and  ad- 
dresses were  given  by  all  present.  It  is  quite  possible 
that  this  Sitapur  association  was  the  germ  from  which 
developed  the  District  Conferences  and  similar  gather- 
ings which  now  form  a  very  important  and  helpful  part 
of  mission  work  in  all  parts  of  India. 

Unlike  Lakhimpur,  Sitapur  is  a  most  healthful  spot. 
These  two  places,  though  less  than  thirty  miles  distant 
from  each  other,  have  the  distinction  of  being  the  sick- 
liest and  the  healthiest  stations  in  Oudh.  Sitapur  was 
a  city  of  refuge  for  the  lonely  fever-stricken  mission- 
aries at  Lakhimpur.  The  following  extract  from  the 
journal  describes  the  last  flight  from  Lakhimpur  to 
Sitapur: 

On  the  twentieth  of  January,  1863,  we  left  home  for 
an    itinerating    tour   through    Mithauli    to    meet    the 
(6)  81 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Graceys  at  Maikal  Gunge, and  so  visit  our  native  brother 
at  Asmanpur  and  preach  in  the  villages.  We  had  a 
hard  trip  getting  to  Maikal  Gunge,  but  a  pleasant  time 
itinerating.  On  Sunday  evening  we  left  for  Sitapur. 
We  were  compelled  to  go  on  Sunday,  for  I  had  a  severe 
attack  of  fever  and  we  had  to  go  to  Sitapur.  We  re- 
mained with  Brother  and  Sister  Gracey  until  Wednes- 
day following,  when  I  was  able  to  leave  for  home.  But 
as  my  sickness  increased  at  Lakhimpur  I  found  it  neces- 
sary to  return  again  to  Sitapur  on  Saturday.  Here  1 
soon  recovered  so  as  to  be  able  to  leave  my  bed.  We 
remained  at  Sitapur  until  the  next  Tuesday,  February 
3,  when  we  started  for  Bareilly  to  attend  the  Annual 
Meeting,  arriving  at  Bareilly  on  Thursday  afternoon. 

At  this  Annual  Meeting  Mr.  Parker  was  appointed 
to  Moradabad,  and  thus  closed  this  eventful,  and  to 
Mr.  Parker  almost  fatal,  chapter  if  his  missionary 
career.  And  that  the  readers  of  this  memoir  may  better 
realize  how  great  a  disappointment  the  failure  of  the 
Wesleypore  enterprise  was,  there  is  here  given  an  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Parker  not  long  after 
the  colony  was  planted,  in  which  his  hopeful  spirit  leads 
him  to  describe  in  glowing  terms  the  coming  triumphs 
of  Christian  Wesleypore: 

Our  object  is  not  to  collect  all  of  the  Christians  of  the 
Mission  together  here,  but  to  collect  those  who  are  un- 
provided for.  Some  may  at  first  object  to  this  plan,  as 
it  does  not  appear  to  answer  the  design  of  Christ  that 
each  Christian  should,  by  exhibiting  the  characteristics 
of  true  piety,  be  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  to  a  wicked 
world.  It  is  our  opinion  that  true  Christians  can  do 
this  work  in  India  in  no  more  effectual  way  than  in  a 
village.  While  one  man  among  a  thousand  can  be  seen 
but  little  and  can  exert  but  little  influence,  one  village 
among  a  thousand  must  be  seen.  It  is  as  a  "city  set  on 
a  hill."  Everything  about  our  town  will  attract  notice ; 

82 


WESLEYPORE 

our  houses,  our  chapel,  our  schoolhouse,  so  different 
from  anything  in  all  the  Northwest  Province;  then 
the  morality  of  the  people,  their  equity  in  dealing,  their 
independent,  cheerful  bearing,  with  the  superior  intelli- 
gence that  our  schools  must  give,  will  all  lead  the  world 
around  to  look  and  wonder. 

Alas!  the  bright  anticipation  was  never  realized. 
And  now  the  missionary,  broken  in  health,  and  the 
remnants  of  his  colony  dispersed  and  discouraged,  turns 
his  back  on  Wesleypore  to  begin  again  somewhere  else ; 
and  yet  his  purpose  to  do  what  he  can  to  win  India  for 
Christ  and  his  hope  and  expectation  of  success  are  as 
firm  and  as  sure  as  when  he  took  his  first  step  toward 

India. 

83 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  IV. — MOUNTAIN  AIR 

IN  the  year  1863  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Mission 
was  held  at  Bareilly,  beginning  on  the  5th  of  February. 
There  were  now  fourteen  missionaries  on  the  field,  ex- 
clusive of  four  men  who  arrived  a  few  days  before  the 
meeting  commenced.  During  the  year  there  had  been 
some  friction  between  the  missionaries  and  the  superin- 
tendent, owing  to  absence  of  method  and  fixed  pro- 
cedure in  administration,  particularly  in  regard  to 
finance,  and  on  this  account  a  number  of  the  mission- 
aries, including  Edwin  W.  Parker,  thought  of  declining 
to  meet  the  superintendent  in  Annual  Meeting  until  the 
Mission  was  organized  as  an  Annual  Conference  or 
some  radical  changes  were  introduced  into  the  methods 
of  administration.  But  when  the  time  for  the  meeting 
came  around  all,  with  one  exception,  were  present. 
The  superintendent  presented  a  document  which  placed 
affairs  on  a  more  satisfactory  footing,  and  the  meeting 
passed  off  harmoniously  and  with  evident  indications 
of  God's  blessing  upon  his  servants. 

As  the  Wesleypore  scheme  had  failed,  and  as  it  was 
evident  that  neither  Mr.  nor  Mrs.  Parker  could  live  at 
Lakhimpur,  on  account  of  fever,  Mr.  Parker  was  re- 
moved from  Lakhimpur  and  sent  to  Moradabad,  with 
J.  L.  Humphrey  as  senior  colleague  and  Zahur-ul  Haqq 
local  preacher  and  Andrias  exhorter.  Repeated  attacks 
of  fever  prevented  the  Parkers  reaching  Moradabad 
before  the  nth  of  March,  more  than  one  month  from 
the  close  of  the  Annual  Meeting,  and  Mr.  Parker  was 

not  able  to  begin  work  until  the  23d  on  account  of  an 

84 


MOUNTAIN  AIR 

accident  at  Bareilly  which  for  a  time  threatened  to  de- 
prive him  of  the  use  of  an  eye.  Misfortune  and  disap- 
pointment seemed  to  dog  his  steps  persistently.  Never- 
theless, he  began  hopefully  at  Moradabad,  and  on  the 
3Oth  of  March  wrote  in  his  journal  that  he  had  com- 
menced his  work  in  the  city  of  Moradabad  a  week  be- 
fore ;  that  he  had  a  fine  large  school  to  teach  and  all  the 
bazaar  preaching  he  could  attend  to.  Prospects  were 
good,  and  past  troubles  were  forgotten.  But,  alas !  they 
soon  returned.  He  was  once  more  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment. The  next  entry  in  his  journal  is  dated, 
"Naini  Tal,  i/th  April,"  and  tells  its  own  sad  story 
with  pathetic  candor : 

Two  weeks  I  worked  in  the  school  at  Moradabad 
and  preached  a  little.  They  were  happy,  hopeful  weeks. 
I  never  in  my  life  enjoyed  two  weeks  better,  and  I  felt 
sure  that  I  would  remain  well  and  work  for  God  and 
souls.  But  on  the  8th  of  April  I  was  taken  sick  with 
my  old  fever  and  was  ill  for  a  whole  week.  Mrs.  Par- 
ker, too,  suffered  more  or  less  from  fever  during  the 
week.  We  found  that  we  could  not  live  at  Moradabad 
during  the  heat,  hence  we  left  for  Naini  Tal.  We  both 
felt  sorry  to  leave  Moradabad,  but  were  certain  it  was 
our  duty  to  come  away.  We  arrived  in  Naini  Tal  the 
1 6th,  and  now  feel  much  better  and  hope  for  better 
health.  I  feel  like  submitting  all  to  God.  I  often  feel 
nearly  discouraged,  but  still  trust  and  hope  on.  I  de- 
sire to  work.  It  is  a  great  trial  to  feel  that  I  am  doing 
next  to  nothing  and  yet  am  being  supported  by  the 
liberality  of  the  Church.  This  sick-ness  has  been  the 
great  trial  of  my  life.  May  God  help  us  to  be  willing  to 
do  or  suffer. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting  of  1863  Mr.  Henry  Mansell, 
who  had  just  arrived  in  India,  was  appointed  to  Luck- 
now.  But  on  his  way  from  Bareilly  to  Lucknow  he 

85 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

was  detained  several  weeks  at  Shahjahanpur  by  the 
dangerous  illness  of  his  wife.  As  soon  as  Mrs.  Mansell 
was  able  to  travel  she  was  taken  to  Naini  Tal  for  the 
remainder  of  the  hot  season.  Meanwhile  the  Parkers 
had  arrived  from  Moradabad,  and  as  it  was  evidently 
necessary  for  Mr.  Parker  to  have  several  months  in  the 
mountains,  that  he  might  shake  off  the  fever,  the  super- 
intendent sent  Mr.  Mansell  to  the  Moradabad  school, 
and  appointed  Mr.  Parker  colleague  of  his  old  ship- 
mate, Mr.  Thoburn,  at  Naini  Tal.  There  was  ample 
work  at  Naini  Tal  for  two  men.  There  were  English 
services  in  the  Mission  church  and  among  the  Euro- 
pean miners  at  Kurpo  Tal,  there  were  Hindustani  serv- 
ices in  the  church,  there  was  bazaar  preaching,  a  large 
Anglo-vernacular  school  in  Naini  Tal,  and  a  number  of 
smaller  schools  in  the  region  about.  Mr.  Parker  found 
abundant  work  and  did  all  he  could.  But  his  "old 
fever,"  as  he  called  it,  did  not  leave  him.  During  the 
whole  of  the  year  a  continued  fight  with  ill  health  was 
made,  and  near  the  close  of  the  rainy  season,  when  the 
delightful  September  weather  of  the  hills  had  arrived, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  started  for  the  Pindari  glacier, 
hoping  in  this  way  to  get  rid  of  the  disease  which  had 
fastened  upon  both  of  them.  They  left  Naini  Tal  on 
the  8th  of  September,  returning  on  the  3Oth,  and  with 
them  went  Messrs.  Gracey  and  Messmore,  two  of  their 
fellow-missionaries. 

Mount  Cheena  at  Naini  Tal  is  eighty-five  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea.  Standing  on  Cheena  and  looking 
toward  the  snowy  range,  distant  some  seventy  miles  in 
an  air  line,  the  intervening  space  appears  filled  with  a 
succession  of  wooded  or  grassy  ranges  running,  for  the 

most  part,  parallel  with  the  snowy  range.     It  is  like 

86 


MOUNTAIN  AIR 

looking  across  an  immense  plowed  field  whose  furrows 
are  mountain  ridges  from  five  to  twelve  thousand  feet 
high,  bounded  on  the  farther  side  by  the  Himalaya, 
whose  highest  peaks,  opposite  Naini  Tal,  are  over 
twenty-six  thousand  feet  in  height.  The  route  from 
Naini  Tal  to  the  snows  lie  across  these  great  furrows, 
and  though  at  times  the  road  runs  for  miles  along  a 
river  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  valley  the  general  char- 
acteristic of  the  way  is  that  it  leads  up  one  side  of  a 
mountain  and  down  the  other.  There  are  no  broad  un- 
dulating valleys,  as  in  many  mountainous  countries; 
the  Himalaya  valleys  are  V  shaped  canons,  with  a 
stream  at  the  bottom. 

The  Pindari  glacier  is  eleven  marches  from  Naini 
Tal.  The  European  traveler  must  take  with  him  his 
bed  and  bedding,  his  chair  and  table,  his  dishes  and 
cooking  utensils,  nearly  all  his  commissariat  supplies, 
and  in  1863  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  take  his  house 
also,  as  there  were  no  rest  houses  in  the  farther  half  of 
the  way.  As  all  these  things  have  to  be  carried  by 
coolies  the  length  of  a  day's  march  is  determined  by  the 
distance  a  cooly  can  carry  his  load.  The  marches  are 
from  ten  to  fourteen  miles.  The  number  of  coolies  re- 
quired depends  upon  the  size  and  habits  of  the  travel  - 
jng  party.  Four  coolies  for  each  traveler,  exclusive  of 
men  for  tents  or  dandies,  is  a  very  economic  ar- 
rangement. Most  travelers  require  a  larger  number. 
The  travelers  are  either  on  foot  or  horseback  or  in 
dandies.  The  dandy  of  1863  was  a  hammock  on  a  pole 
in  which  the  rider  sat  erect  with  support  for  the  feet. 
The  present  dandy  is  a  sort  of  open  sedan  chair,  light 
and  comfortable.  From  four  to  six  coolies  are  required 
for  each  dandy.  On  this  trip  there  was  a  dandy  for 

87 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Mrs.  Parker.  The  men  had  horses,  but  the  latter  half 
of  the  way  was  unsafe  for  horses  and  this  part  of  the 
journey  was  done  on  foot. 

These  mountains  are  by  no  means  densely  popu- 
lated; it  is  always  a  difficult  matter  to  get  a  sufficient 
supply  of  coolies,  and  generally  it  is  necessary  to  have 
the  assistance  of  local  government  officials.  Three 
marches  beyond  Naini  Tal  is  Almora,  the  only  large 
town  in  the  Province  of  Kumaun ;  the  missionary  party 
made  this  place  the  base  from  whence  they  marched  on 
Pindari.  The  Naini  Tal  bazaar  furnished  coolies  for 
the  three  marches  to  Almora.  At  Almora  two  govern- 
ment peons  or  chaprasis  were  engaged.  These  men 
were  furnished  with  a  written  order  from  the  govern- 
ment officer  at  Almora,  addressed  to  the  head  men 
of  the  villages  in  the  district  through  which  the  party 
would  travel,  requiring  them  to  furnish  the  specified 
number  of  coolies  and  also  to  supply  the  travelers  with 
flour,  milk,  vegetables,  and  other  necessaries  for  their 
comfort.  The  duty  of  furnishing  coolies  and  supplies 
comes  upon  the  villages  in  turn,  and  when  a  traveling 
party  passes  that  way  the  head  men  of  the  villages 
know  very  well  whose  turn  it  is  to  supply  their  needs. 
On  the  route  one  of  the  peons  always  kept  one  day  in 
advance,  notifying  the  head  men  of  the  various  vil- 
lages. The  other  peon  traveled  with  the  party,  and  it 
was  his  business  to  see  that  the  coolies  were  present  and 
did  their  work.  Each  set  of  coolies  went  one  stage 
only.  It  is  a  disagreeable  and  expensive  arrangement. 
Although  the  coolies  are  well  paid  for  their  work  they 
seldom  go  willingly.  Most  of  them  have  their  fields 
and  cattle  to  look  after,  and  they  do  not  like  to  be 
dragged  off  to  carry  a  heavy  load  for  a  long  march. 


MOUNTAIN  AIR 

The  Parkers  themselves  had  planned  this  expedition, 
and  all  arrangements  were  in  their  hands.  Mrs.  Par- 
ker had  charge  of  the  commissariat,  and  so  thought- 
fully and  efficiently  was  the  difficult  task  performed 
that  she  fully  merited  the  name  of  "providence"  which 
was  given  her  for  like  service  some  years  after,  a  name 
which  is  occasionally  given  her  to  this  day.  None  of 
the  party  had  had  any  experience  in  Himalayan  travel, 
and  there  was  much  to  learn.  They  started  ten  days 
too  soon,  and  on  the  way  to  the  glacier  and  at  the 
glacier  itself  there  was  a  good  deal  of  rain.  There  was 
sometimes  trouble  with  the  coolies  or  with  the  negli- 
gent head  men  of  the  villages.  The  marches  were  long; 
the  sun  was  hot  in  the  valleys,  and  particularly  at 
Bageshwar  in  the  valley  of  the  Sardu,  where  unfortu- 
nately the  Sabbath  halt  was  necessary.  The  Parkers 
had  a  small  hill  tent  for  themselves.  The  other  two 
had  provided  themselves  with  a  pair  of  native  blankets 
each  with  which  a  sort  of  tent  could  be  made  for  use  in 
ordinary  times,  but  in  rain  or  excessive  heat  they  were 
obliged  to  avail  themselves  of  the  shelter  of  the  real 
tent.  Bageshwar  is  five  marches  out  from  Naini  Tal, 
and  each  day  the  way  led  over  one  or  more  high  ridges. 
The  road  over  the  ridge  nearest  to  Bageshwar  led 
through  the  possessions  of  an  ancient  rajah,  and  in  one 
place  were  one  thousand  steps  cut  in  soapstone  leading 
up  to  the  now  deserted  place.  From  Bageshwar  the 
road  leads  for  nearly  two  days  up  the  valley  of  the 
Sardu.  This  being  one  of  the  main  water  courses  of 
this  part  of  the  Himalayas  the  valley  is  low  and  very 
hot.  But  after  leaving  Bageshwar  the  rise  is  rapid  and 
cooler  regions  are  soon  reached.  Some  distance  be- 
yond Bageshwar  the  road  led  through  a  pine  forest 

89 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

with  a  dense  underbrush  of  date  palm.  The  pine  and 
palm  are  supposed  to  represent  the  vegetation  of  ex- 
tremes in  temperature.  But  here  they  were  together. 
The  low  hills  about  are  covered  with  pines,  and  these 
had  crept  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  valley;  and  the 
sheltered  position  and  southern  exposure  of  that  par- 
ticular spot  made  it  also  a  suitable  place  for  the  palm. 

Seven  days  from  Naini  Tal  is  Lohar  Khat,  well  away 
from  the  Sardu  valley  and  some  distance  up  the  side  of 
the  vast  mountain  ridge  which  divides  the  Sardu  from 
the  Pindari.  Over  this  ridge  the  travelers  must  go. 
There  are  so  few  villages  beyond  Lohar  Khat  that  the 
custom  of  changing  coolies  at  each  stage  could  not  be 
kept  up,  and  the  men  furnished  there  were  to  go  on  to 
the  glacier  and  remain  with  the  party  until  they  re- 
turned. Lohar  Khat  thus  became  a  sort  of  advanced 
base.  From  this  onward  the  roads  were  rougher.  The 
loads  of  the  coolies  must  be  smaller,  the  horses  must  be 
left  behind,  and  the  three  men  go  on  foot.  All  super- 
fluous articles  and  stores  of  food  to  be  used  on  the  re- 
turn trip  were  left  at  Lohar  Khat,  and  in  lightest  possi- 
ble marching  order  the  party  undertook  this  last  and 
most  interesting  part  of  their  journey. 

From  Lohar  Khat,  over  the  immense  Dhakri  Banaik 
ridge,  down  to  Karti,  in  the  valley  of  the  Pindari  River, 
is  a  long  and  difficult  march,  now  made  two  by  a  rest 
house  well  up  near  the  pass.  In  1863  the  road  up  the 
face  of  the  mountain  was  impassable  for  any  quad- 
rupeds except  bears  and  goats.  In  some  places  there 
were  great  steps  like  the  face  of  the  pyramids.  As- 
cending, the  pines  gave  place  to  oak  and  rhododendron. 
The  oaks  near  the  pass  were  covered  with  light  pea- 
green  pendant  moss  hanging  from  the  trees  in  festoons 

90 


MOUNTAIN  AIR 

from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  long.  The  pass  is  about  ten 
thousand  feet  high,  and  as  this  is  the  range  next  the 
snows  themselves  the  view  from  the  place  is  most  im- 
pressive. On  the  south  is  a  well  wooded,  cultivated 
mountain  region  extending  to  the  plains  and  to  the  in- 
habited civilized  world.  On  the  north  rises  the  desert 
of  rock  and  ice  and  snow,  inaccessible  and  uninhabited ; 
the  portal  of  the  savage,  inhospitable,  unknown  region 
which  is  the  appropriate  boundary  of  the  unknown  land 
called  Tibet. 

Karti  is  in  the  valley  of  the  Pindari  River,  nearly  fif- 
teen miles  from  the  spot  where  the  stream  issues  from 
the  glacier,  and  from  this  place  onward  the  route  lay 
directly  up  this  wild,  rocky,  and,  for  the  most  part,  well- 
wooded  mountain  gorge.  Karti  is  the  last  village  on 
the  way,  though  in  summer  shepherds  camp  here  and 
there  up  to  the  glacier  itself.  The  valley  rises  rapidly 
and  the  stream  is  rapid  and  tumultuous.  Rhododen- 
drons of  immense  size  and  large  horse-chestnuts  are 
found  in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley.  But  the  grade  is 
so  steep  and  the  ascent  so  great  that  within  ten  miles 
of  Karti  there  is  a  marked  diminution  in  the  size  of  the 
timber.  This  continues  until  the  rhododendron  be- 
comes a  mere  shrub,  and  the  timber  limit  is  passed  two 
or  three  miles  before  the  glacier  is  reached.  In  Mr. 
Parker's  journal  there  is  special  mention  made  of  the 
first  near  view  of  a  snow  peak  from  the  Pindari  valley. 
The  party  were  plodding  on  up  the  narrow  valley, 
grass-covered  or  wooded  mountains  alone  visible  on 
either  hand.  Suddenly  turning  a  corner,  the  view  up 
the  gorge  terminated  in  a  great  iceberg  which  seemed 
to  rise  up  out  of  the  valley,  and  the  question  in  the  mind 
of  each  beholder  was  this,  "Why  is  that  a  snow  mnun- 

91 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

tain,  when  these  mountains  on  either  side,  which  are  so 
much  higher  than  it,  are  free  from  snow  and  covered 
with  vegetation?"  The  optical  illusion  was  complete, 
and  it  was  some  time  before  the  travelers  could  realize 
that  this  peak,  which  looked  so  near,  was  a  score  of 
miles  distant,  and  that  it  was  at  least  ten  thousand  feet 
higher  than  the  wooded  hills  on  either  side  of  the  valley. 

On  the  iQth  of  September  the  party  reached  the 
camping  ground,  some  three  miles  below  the  mouth  of 
the  glacier.  The  weather  was  rainy  and  cold.  Mr. 
Parker  and  Mr.  Gracey  had  fever,  and  the  altitude 
affected  Mrs.  Parker  unfavorably.  The  whole  party 
were  crowded  together  in  the  little  tent,  the  coolies  and 
servants  finding  shelter  under  an  overhanging  rock. 
It  was  an  uncomfortable  and  a  very  disappointing  time. 
The  coolies  declared  that  here  was  the  end  of  the  trip. 
But  where  were  the  snows?  Where  was  the  glacier? 
The  second  day  Mr.  Parker  and  Mr.  Messmore  climbed 
a  peak  near  by.  Nearing  the  top,  the  rarefied  air  made 
climbing  almost  impossible.  At  last  the  summit  was 
reached,  but  the  vast  wall  of  the  Himalaya  towered 
above  it  exactly  as  it  appeared  from  the  camp  more 
than  a  thousand  feet  below. 

The  camp  was  several  hundred  feet  above  the  valley 
of  the  river,  and  in  fact  the  river  seemed  to  be  inacces- 
sible. The  valley  had  widened  out  into  a  sloping  plain 
covered  with  diluvium — a  dreary  and  desolate  place. 
The  third  day,  after  breakfast,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker 
decided  to  go  a  little  farther  up  the  valley,  and  before 
starting  suggested  the  desirability  of  removing  the 
camp  to  a  more  sheltered  place  a  little  way  down  stream. 
The  suggestion  was  either  intentionally  or  accidentally 

misunderstood.     The  tent  was  struck  and  the  whole 

92 


MOUNTAIN  AIR 

camp  moved  down  the  valley  some  five  miles  to  Diwali, 
the  halting  place  between  Karti  and  the  glacier.  Ar- 
rived at  Diwali,  the  tent  pitched,  and  preparations  for 
the  evening  meal  commenced,  Messrs.  Gracey  and 
Messmore  awaited  the  return  of  the  Parkers.  But  they 
did  not  appear.  The  afternoon  passed  and  still  they 
had  not  returned.  When  darkness  began  to  settle  down 
upon  the  valley  servants  with  lanterns  were  sent  back 
toward  the  glacier,  and  about  an  hour  after  dark  they 
returned  and  the  Parkers  with  them.  The  glacier  was 
reached  on  the  I9th  of  September,  and  camp  was 
pitched  for  several  days  in  its  vicinity.  The  petty  hard- 
ships of  the  journey  only  gave  zest  to  the  experience, 
which  was  of  benefit  to  the  entire  party. 

The  return  to  Naini  Tal  was  hastened,  as  Mr.  Par- 
ker desired  to  see  Mr.  Thoburn  before  his  departure 
for  America  with  his  motherless  child.  On  the  2Qth 
the  party  left  Almora,  intending  to  make  a  forced 
inarch  into  Naini  Tal.  The  coolies  were  sent  on  in  ad- 
vance with  orders  to  camp  where  night  should  find 
them.  The  travelers  set  out  from  Almora  about  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon,  and  as  night  came  began  to 
look  anxiously  for  their  camp.  They  kept  on,  hour 
after  hour,  until  near  midnight,  and  finding  no  camp 
were  obliged  to  bivouac  in  the  road.  Fortunately  one 
cooly  was  with  them,  and  his  load  furnished  a  blanket 
or  quilt  for  each  of  the  party.  They  lay  down  under 
the  stars  in  the  dry,  hard  road.  The  road  is  in  the 
valley  of  the  Kosi,  a  warm  but  malarious  region,  but 
three  weeks'  marching  had  hardened  the  travelers,  and 
apparently  they  suffered  no  injury  and  very  little  incon- 
venience from  the  exposure.  They  reached  Naini  Tal 
in  good  time  next  forenoon,  and  before  night  the  coolies 

93 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

came  in,  having,  as  was  suspected,  taken  the  upper  in- 
stead of  the  lower  road  from  Almora  to  Naini  Tal. 

As  Mr.  Parker's  fever  still  troubled  him  a  second 
journey  to  colder  regions  was  'taken  in  hope  of  finding 
relief.  They  left  Naini  Tal  on  the  I3th  of  October,  and 
proceeding  via  Lokha  and  Adh  Badri,  went  as  far  as 
Tumnath,  where  they  spent  several  days  in  the  cold 
bracing  air  on  the  top  of  a  high  mountain.  They  re- 
turned to  Naini  Tal  on  the  7th  of  November,  and  the 
three  months  following  were  spent  in  Naini  Tal  and  in 
work  among  the  villages  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  now 
filled  with  people  who  had  come  down  for  the  winter. 
The  following  extract  from  Mr.  Parker's  journal  tells 
how  he  was  employed : 

Dec.  19,  1863.  During  the  past  week  I  have  visited 
the  schools  at  Huldwani  and  Golapur.  The  schools  are 
doing  well.  There  is  much  doubt  about  the  expediency 
of  having  schools  out  from  the  station  taught  by  heathen 
teachers.  I  think,  however,  nothing  is  lost,  while  much 
may  be  gained.  One  gain  is  evident  now.  We  get  the 
hearts  of  the  boys  in  the  schools,  and  thus  find  an  open 
door  to  the  parents  in  the  villages.  The  school  here  at 
Naini  Tal  is  not  yet  closed  for  the  winter. 

Our  health  is  very  good  now;  very  much  improved 
indeed.  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  working  a  little 
daily  for  some  weeks  with  my  carpenter's  tools,  and  I 
think  this  work  has  done  me  much  good.  To-day  I 
brought  in  my  first  almira,  or  clothes  press.  I  call  it  a 
very  good  one,  and  making  it  has  done  me  much  good 
in  health. 

Three  of  these  almiras  were  made  at  this  time,  and 
after  Bishop  Parker's  death  Mrs.  Parker  gave  one  of 
them  to  Miss  Alice  Means,  who  had  rendered  invalu- 
able service  in  helping  nurse  her  husband  many  weeks 

94 


MOUNTAIN  Am 

during  his  last  illness.     The  other  two  were  given  to 
the  Reid  Christian  College. 

The  improvement  in  Mr.  Parker  was  not  lasting. 
On  the  Qtli  of  January  he  writes,  "Our  health  seems 
getting  poor  again ;  during  the  past  week  we  have  both 
been  ill  much  of  the  time."  And  one  week  later : 

Jan.  1 6,  1864.  Still  unwell.  Worse  with  fever  at 
times.  A  letter  from  Brother  Gracey  saying  that  the 
grant  is  sold.  I  am  glad  of  that  indeed.  That  grant 
at  Wesleypore  has  caused  me  much  trouble  and  ill 
health  and  profitless  labor.  It  has  injured  the  constitu- 
tion and  health  of  my  wife,  and  has  cost  the  health  and 
lives  of  many  native  Christians. 

On  January  22  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  left  Naini  Tal 
to  attend  the  Annual  Meeting  at  Bareilly,  commencing 
February  5.  As  the  superintendent  had  decided  to 
send  Mr.  Parker  to  open  a  new  station  at  either  Sam- 
bhal  or  Amroha  they  sent  their  belongings  by  cart  to 
Moradabad.  They  themselves  went  on  to  Bareilly. 
both  in  poor  health  and  suffering  from  frequent  attacks 
of  illness.  The  year  had  been  a  trying  and  disappoint- 
ing one  for  the  missionary,  and  he  had  grounds  for  in- 
dulging in  gloomy  anticipations  concerning  his  pros- 
pects in  India.  On  the  2Qth  he  writes :  "I  do  not  know 
what  to  do,  my  health  is  so  poor.  I  want  to  work,  and 
to  be  in  India  in  these  times  and  nearly  idle  is  very 
hard."  At  the  Annual  Meeting  Mr.  Parker  was  ap- 
pointed to  Moradabad,  with  H.  Mansell  and  J.  A. 
Cawdell  as  colleagues.  But  his  poor  health  was  so  ap- 
parent to  all  that  he  was  voted  leave  to  try  a  sea  voyage 
sometime  during  the  year  if  it  were  necessary.  Fortu- 
nately, however,  the  voyage  was  not  necessary,  and 

prospects  brightened  very  much  during  1864. 

95 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  V. — THE  INDIA  MISSION  CONFERENCE 

ON  February  17,  1864,  Mr.  Parker  for  the  second 
time  took  up  work  at  Moradabad.  Mr.  Mansell  had 
charge  of  the  rapidly  growing  Anglo-vernacular  school, 
Mr.  Cawdell  assisted  Mr.  Parker  in  the  city  and  village 
work,  and  all  three  preached  regularly  in  the  bazaars. 
A  second  school  of  sixty  scholars  was  opened  in  the 
city,  Ambica  Cham  had  a  school  of  sixty  boys  at  Sam- 
bhal,  twenty  miles  distant,  Zahur-ul-Haqq  was  at 
Babukhera,  among  the  Sikhs,  and  Andrias  was  sent  to 
the  Chamars  at  Kundarki.  Mr.  Parker's  health  im- 
proved as  the  year  went  on,  and  on  the  i4th  of  Sep- 
tember he  wrote  in  his  journal  that  for  some  time  past 
he  had  preached  in  the  bazaar  daily.  He  was  happy 
in  having  a  zealous  and  congenial  colleague.  In  one 
place  he  writes :  "Brother  Mansell  is  a  good  man  and  an 
excellent  missionary,  and  our  labors  together  were  al- 
ways pleasant.  Our  love  continues  like  that  of  own 
brothers  until  now."  It  was  a  good  year  at  Moradabad. 
Foundations  of  important  work  were  laid  and  signs  of 
present  prosperity  were  not  wanting.  When  Bishop 
Thomson,  at  the  close  of  the  year,  visited  Moradabad 
eleven  persons  were  received  into  the  church  at  that 
place,  and  twenty-seven  were  baptized  at  Babukhera. 
Still  the  missionaries  were  hoping  and  praying  for  bet- 
ter days,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  following  journal  entry 
in  September: 

We  have  visited  the  villages  regularly  once  a  fort- 
night, and  all  our  work  has  been  prospering.  God  is 
with  us.  We  have  been  trying  to  live  near  to  God  and 

96 


THE  INDIA  MISSION  CONFERENCE 

do  all  our  work  well.  I  feel  many  times  weak  and  al- 
most discouraged  when  I  see  so  little  accomplished. 
O  for  faith !  Brother  Mansell  is  a  noble  man,  an  ear- 
nest Christian,  and  an  excellent  colleague.  I  love  him 
more  and  more  daily. 

The  missionaries  at  Moradabad  early  in  1864  formed 
an  association  for  training  and  educating  native  preach- 
ers. Mr.  Parker  says  in  his  journal  that  this  was  the 
seed  of  the  District  Associations  which  a  few  years 
later  were  doing  so  much  good.  Out  of  these  associa- 
tions the  "District  Conference"  has  been  evolved.  The 
value  of  these  district  meetings  caused  the  India  mis- 
sionaries to  urge  the  necessity  for  General  Conference 
action  regarding  them,  and  the  legislation  which  fol- 
lowed was  probably  more  influenced  by  Mr.  Parker 
than  by  any  other  man. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1864  the  India  Mission 
had  been  made  a  Mission  Conference.  This  gave  to  the 
presiding  bishop  the  right  of  veto,  and  the  Conference 
proceedings  required  his  official  sanction  to  make  them 
valid.  In  addition  to  this  restriction,  the  Mission  Con- 
ference could  not  send  delegates  to  the  General  Confer- 
ence, or  draw  annual  dividends  from  the  Book  Con- 
cern and  Chartered  Fund,  or  vote  on  constitutional 
changes  proposed  in  the  Discipline. 

The  newly  elected  bishop,  Edward  Thomson,  came 
out  to  India  to  inspect  the  work  of  the  Mission  and  or- 
ganize the  first  Methodist  Annual  Conference  in  Asia. 
Accompanied  by  the  superintendent  he  proceeded  from 
Bombay  via  Cawnpore  to  Meerut  and  entered  the  terri- 
tory of  the  India  Mission  at  Garmukhtcshwar,  on  the 
Ganges,  midway  tetween  Delhi  and  Moradabad.  It 
was  the  time  of  the  great  bathing  festival  in  November, 

(7)  97 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

and  there  they  met  the  Moradabad  missionaries  who 
were  preaching  at  the  mela.  Traveling  with  the  super- 
intendent, the  bishop  visited  all  the  stations  of  the  Mis- 
sion before  the  opening  of  Conference,  December  8, 
1864,  in  the  Mission  schoolhouse,  Hoosainabad,  Luck- 
now. 

The  missionaries  were  a  good  deal  stirred  up  by  the 
action  of  the  General  Conference,  which  gave  them  a 
Conference  organization  without  Conference  powers. 
The  night  before  the  Conference  was  organized  they 
met  in  council  to  determine  what  was  to  be  done  under 
the  circumstances.  A  very  stiff  declaration  of  rights  and 
demand  for  justice  had  been  prepared  by  some  of  the 
leading  missionaries,  and  at  this  council  some  two  hours 
were  spent  in  "drawing  the  teeth  of  the  document." 
The  truth  is,  that  Bishop  Thomson's  wise  and  con- 
ciliatory suggestions  had  already  removed  the  fears  of 
most  of  the  missionaries.  In  the  end  they  adopted  a 
protest  against  being  organized  into  a  Conference  in 
which  the  members  have  no  rights  except  by  permis- 
sion, and  again  memorialized  the  General  Conference 
for  an  Annual  Conference  organization. 

The  records  of  this  historic  Conference  are  among 
the  most  valuable  in  the  annals  of  Indian  Methodism. 
The  bishop's  opening  address  was  a  classic  production, 
deserving  preservation  on  account  of  its  literary  value 
as  well  as  because  of  the  themes  it  discussed  and  the 
circumstances  under  which  it  was  delivered.  His 
judicious  performance  of  official  duty  brought  relief  to 
the  entire  Mission.  New  hope  and  courage  inspired 
every  one.  Without  departing  from  traditional  pro-' 
cedure  the  bishop  virtually  gave  the  Conference  the 

privilege  of  electing  the  presiding  elders,  an  innovation 

98 


THE  INDIA  MISSION  CONFERENCE 

which  was  not  only  very  popular,  but  worked  well  a 
number  of  years.  The  Conference  was  asked  to  elect 
by  ballot  a  missionary  committee,  whose  work  it  would 
be  to  prepare  the  financial  estimates  and  generally  do 
the  work  of  a  finance  committee.  And  it  was  under- 
stood that  the  members  of  this  committee  would  be  the 
presiding  elders  of  the  Conference.  Fourteen  men  were 
entitled  to  vote,  and  C.  W.  Judd  received  nine  votes, 
E.  W.  Parker  twelve,  and  J.  W.  Waugh  nine.  These 
three  became  the  bishop's  cabinet,  and  were  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Lucknow,  Moradabad,  and  Bareilly  Dis- 
tricts respectively. 

The  most  important  act  of  this  first  Methodist  Con- 
ference in  Asia  was  that  by  which  four  native  preachers 
were  received  into  Conference  as  probationers.  This 
was  a  radical  step  in  advance.  Mr.  Parker  was  the 
leader  in  the  movement,  and  it  was  largely  .through  his 
influence  that  the  Conference  adopted  the  policy  of 
making  native  ministers  the  ecclesiastical  peers  of  the 
foreign  missionaries.  From  letters  written  by  Mr. 
Parker  to  the  Church  papers  it  appears  that  at  that  time 
his  thought  was  that  eventually  the  number  of  native 
ministers  in  the  Conference  should  be  kept  about  the 
same  as  the  number  of  missionaries.  But  this  theory 
was  soon  set  aside,  and  now  in  the  North  India  Con- 
ference there  are  nearly  four  times  as  many  Indians  as 
foreigners.  It  is,  however,  the  opinion  of  some  that  it 
would  have  been  better  had  the  original  plan  been  fol- 
lowed, and  meml>ership  in  Annual  Conference  reserved 
for  men  of  character  and  ability  such  as  the  first  four 
who  were  admitted.  The  names  of  these  first  Indian 
Conference  members  are  J.  T.  Janvier,  H.  M.  Daniel, 
J.  Fieldbrave,  and  Zahur-ul-Haqq.  The  last  men- 

99 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

tioned  was  the  first  convert  gained  by  the  India  Mission 
and  afterward  the  first  Indian  presiding  elder.  The 
last  survivor  of  this  worthy  band,  Rev.  Joel  T.  Jan- 
vier, went  to  his  reward  some  thirty-six  years  after  the 
Lucknow  Conference. 

100 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 


CHAPTER  VI. — THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

THE  Moradabad  District,  to  which  Mr.  Parker  was 
appointed  as  presiding  elder  at  the  first  session  of  the 
India  Conference,  included  the  civil  districts  of  Morad- 
abad and  Bijnor,  and  the  district  of  Garhwal  in  the 
mountains.  There  were  four  circuits:  Moradabad,  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Mansell;  Sambhal,  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Cawdell;  Bijnor,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Hauser;  and  Garh- 
wal, in  charge  of  Mr.  Thoburn,  who  did  not,  however, 
return  from  America  until  more  than  a  year  after  the 
Lucknow  Conference.  Mr.  Parker  lived  in  Morada- 
bad. The  city  and  all  the  work  within  ten  miles  were  in 
Mr.  Mansell's  charge ;  the  presiding  elder  looked  after 
the  remainder.  The  following  extracts  from  Mr.  Par- 
ker's journal  tell  in  what  spirit  and  with  what  purpose 
the  new  presiding  elder  began  his  work : 

Dec.  24,  1864.  I  feel  altogether  unworthy  of  being 
a  presiding  elder,  as  I  am  so  young  and  inexperienced. 
I  am  determined,  however,  to  do  what  I  can  for  God 
in  this  way.  I  shall  endeavor  to  travel  through  my  en- 
tire district  and  become  acquainted  with  the  people 
everywhere. 

Dec.  27.  We  had  a  pleasant  time  with  our  native 
Christians  on  Christmas  Eve.  On  Sunday  I  preached 
from  Isa.  ix,  6.  Had  a  good  time. 

Jan.  i,  1865.  We  had  a  blessed  watch-night  meet- 
ing last  night.  Brothers  Cawdell  and  Haqq  preached, 
and  I  also.  All  passed  off  well  and  God  blessed  us. 

Before  commencing  the  story  of  Mr.  Parker's  mis- 
sionary service  as  presiding  elder  of  the  Moradabad 


101 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

District  it  is  fitting  to  give  a  brief  account  of  the  kind 
of  work  a  missionary  in  India  has  to  do,  and  the 
methods  he  follows.  A  few  words  of  explanation  and 
a  brief  reminder  of  certain  self-evident  but  sometimes 
forgotten  truths  may  remove  some  incorrect  impres- 
sions : 

There  is  no  royal  road  to  success  in  missionary  work 
anywhere.  Human  nature  is  essentially  the  same 
among  all  the  families  of  mankind.  The  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil  are  everywhere  the  great  enemies 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  ignorance  of  men,  the 
earthliness  of  men,  the  selfishness  and  pride  of  men,  the 
customs  of  the  world,  and  many  of  the  strong  currents 
of  human  influence  are  obstacles  to  the  progress  of  the 
Gospel  in  all  lands.  It  is  a  hard  task  to  make  a  sinner 
in  New  York  repent  of  his  sins,  and  it  is  no  easier  in 
Lucknow.  It  is  not  easy  to  lead  a  sinner  in  Boston  to 
accept  Christ  as  his  salvation  from  sin,  and  it  is  not  an 
easy  task  in  Bareilly.  A  Christian  man  in  England  or 
America  needs  much  pastoral  oversight  to  keep  him 
from  yielding  to  the  adverse  influences  about  him,  and 
a  Moradabad  Christian  is  equally  in  need  of  pastoral 
care.  The  European  Christian,  with  generations  of 
Christian  ancestors,  has  many  temptations  and  is 
obliged  to  fight  and  watch  and  pray  all  the  way 
through.  The  Indian  Christian,  with  his  non-Christian 
ancestry,  is  subject  to  the  same  necessity.  There  are 
many  unsatisfactory  Christians  in  European  and  Amer- 
ican churches,  and  such  characters  are  also  found 
among  the  converts  who  have  been  gathered  into  In- 
dian churches.  In  regard  to  all  these  things  there  is 
essentially  no  difference  between  the  East  and  the 
West.  Differences  in  temperament  and  in  religious 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

ideas  and  standards  of  morality  do  produce  an  appre- 
ciable difference  between  the  people  of  the  East  and 
West,  but  these  variations  call  for  no  radical  difference 
in  evangelizing  methods.  The  work  of  winning  men 
for  Christ  and  shepherding  them  is  essentially  the  same 
in  all  lands  under  the  sun.  Men  hear  the  word,  under- 
stand, accept,  believe,  obey,  and  live.  No  other  way  is 
known  among  mankind. 

Friends  and  supporters  of  foreign  missions  some- 
times get  the  impression  that  the  people  of  non-Chris- 
tian lands  are  more  concerned  about  their  souls'  salva- 
tion than  those  who  live  in  Christian  countries,  that 
they  are  hungering  and  thirsting  after  righteousness. 
In  all  countries  there  are  a  few  earnest  seekers  after 
God,  but  there  are  many  more  such  people  in  Christian 
than  in  non-Christian  lands !  In  India  the  people  are 
very  religious;  religious  questions  are  discussed  more 
generally  among  men  and  religious  observances  bulk 
more  largely  in  the  daily  life  of  the  people  than  in 
Europe  or  America ;  but  this  is  no  proof  that  the  In- 
dians are  more  spiritually  minded  or  less  worldly  than 
Europeans.  A  few,  like  Simeon  of  old,  are  looking 
and  waiting  for  the  coming  of  the  King,  but  the 
great  multitude  is  as  sordid  and  worldly  and  in- 
different to  spiritual  things  as  the  multitude  any- 
where else.  And  this  Indian  multitude  is  surrounded 
by  peculiar^ barriers.  Its  ideas  of  God  and  man  and  life 
and  destiny  are  radically  wrong.  The  people  are  in- 
volved in  a  network  of  superstitious  beliefs,  and  shut 
in  by  idolatrous  and  semi-idolatrous  social  and  national 
customs  which  make  it  very  difficult  for  them  to  hear, 
and  understand,  and  believe,  and  olx?y  the  word  of  the 

gospel  messenger.     It  is  a  serious  disadvantage  to  5n- 

103 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

herit  the  traditions  of  a  non-Christian  ancestry,  and, 
taking  all  together,  it  is  harder  and  slower  work  to 
evangelize  such  people  than  it  is  to  reach  and  save  the 
unconverted  in  Christian  lands. 

A  brief  account  of  the  various  agencies  used  for  the 
evangelization  of  the  non-Christian  inhabitants  of  the 
Moradabad  District  will  enable  the  reader  more  intelli- 
gently to  follow  the  story  of  the  presiding  elder's  work : 
i.  Preaching  the  Gospel  in  the  streets  of  towns  and 
villages,  at  village  markets,  and  in  village  courtyards, 
and  at  the  great  religious  festivals.  2.  Preaching  to 
individuals,  as  Christ  did  to  Nicodemus  and  to  the 
woman  at  Jacob's  well,  as  Ananias  did  to  Saul  and 
Philip  to  the  Ethiopian.  3.  Conducting  all  forms  of 
religious  service  in  Christian  congregations.  4.  Main- 
taining schools  in  which  secular  and  religious  instruc- 
tion is  given.  5.  Gathering  children  into  boarding 
schools  or  placing  them  in  Christian  families  where 
they  would  be  reared  as  Christians.  6.  Selecting  and 
training  agents  for  mission  service.  7.  Preparing  and 
circulating  Christian  literature. 

Duties  such  as  these,  and  the  many  occupations  inci- 
dental to  them,  filled  up  the  days  of  the  presiding  elder. 
Wherever  he  went  he  found  work  of  this  sort  to  do. 
Where  Mission  agents  were  stationed  he  supervised 
their  work  and  assisted  them.  Where  there  were  no 
Mission  agents  he  endeavored  to  gain  foothold  and 
place  a  representative  of  the  Christian  faith  among  the 
people.  It  was  mostly  pioneer  work.  Such  work  is 
usually  very  interesting,  sometimes  it  is  very  disheart- 
ening, and  always  it  is  toilsome.  On  the  Moradabad 
District  the  difficulties  pertaining  to  such  work  were 

much  greater  than  ordinary,  the  people  having  to  be 

104 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

sought  for  in  distant  towns  and  villages,  while  there 
are  few  roads,  no  public  conveyances,  no  hotels,  and 
few  houses  among  the  people  in  which  a  European 
could  lodge  comfortably. 

While  at  Lakhimpur  Mr.  Parker  had  provided  him- 
self with  an  imitation  American  buggy  drawn  by  two 
horses.  This  in  a  year  or  two  was  replaced  by  the 
genuine  article,  imported  from  New  England  direct. 
With  his  light  buggy  and  pair  of  good  ponies  Mr.  Par- 
ker was  able  to  do  much  more  traveling  than  if  he  were 
restricted  to  the  use  of  the  palanquin  or  saddle.  Food 
and  bedding  could  be  carried  with  him,  and  this  allowed 
a  freedom  of  action  impossible  for  men  who  had  to 
shape  their  course  according  to  the  movements  of  a  cart 
or  a  kahar  with  their  commissariat  supplies.  Mrs.  Par- 
ker generally  accompanied  her  husband  in  his  tours, 
and  her  presence  made  the  missionary's  visit  doubly 
effective,  giving  to  the  work  done  a  completeness  and 
reality  which  cannot  be  secured  where  the  missionary 
agency  reaches  the  men  alone. 

The  first  tour  through  the  district  was  begun  in  Jan- 
uary and  continued  until  the  middle  of  March.  In  this 
time  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  visited  all  parts  of  the  dis- 
trict, including  Pauri,  the  headquarters  of  the  Garhwal 
Mission,  at  which  place  arrangements  were  made  for 
purchasing  a  mission  house  and  opening  a  school.  A 
few  weeks  in  the  hot  season  were  spent  in  Naini  Tal, 
and  then  back  again  to  Moradabad,  for  Mr.  Mansell's 
health  had  failed,  and  he  had  gone  to  Pauri.  Being  in 
the  Ram  Ganga  valley  Moradabad  has  more  than  an 
average  amount  of  fever  in  September,  and  now. 
though  Mr.  Parker  had  been  well  during  the  year,  his 

old  fever  returned.     But  in  a  short  time  he  recovered 

105 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

and  then  resumed  his  work.    On  the  I5th  of  Septem- 
ber he  writes : 

During  the  past  season  God  has  helped  me  much.  In 
April  Brother  Mansell's  health  failed  and  he  had  to  go 
to  Pauri,  so  that  all  the  work  here  fell  upon  me,  besides 
all  of  my  circuit  and  district  work.  I  have  taught  usu- 
ally four  hours  daily  in  the  city  school,  and  have 
preached  once  every  day  in  the  street  or  in  the  chapel, 
and  have  held  daily  evening  services  for  our  native 
Christians,  besides  a  large  amount  of  official  and  other 
writing.  I  don't  think  I  ever  worked  more  earnestly 
in  my  life,  and  I  never  enjoyed  better  health.  For  a  few 
months  past  I  have  gone  out  each  Friday  after  school 
or  Saturday  morning  for  quarterly  meeting  or  to  visit 
outstations.  Our  work  has  steadily  progressed  during 
the  season.  More  schools  have  been  opened.  Amroha 
has  been  occupied.  Two  girls'  schools  have  sprung  up 
in  the  city  and  our  way  is  open  for  more.  One  Chamar 
school,  the  first  ever  started  in  the  city,  is  prospering, 
and  a  Sabbath  service  has  been  opened  in  the  same 
place.  Thus  the  work  goes  on.  The  seed  is  being  sown 
and  a  little  fruit  is  seen. 

"Thus  the  work  goes  on !"  This  was  a  favorite  ex- 
pression through  all  the  years  of  Mr.  Parker's  mis- 
sionary service.  He  was  at  work,  and  the  work  was 
ever  moving  on;  sometimes  more  rapidly  than  at 
others;  sometimes  sorely  hindered  by  sickness  or  other 
obstacles,  but  always  "moving  on."  This  was  his  un- 
shaken conviction,  and  this  conviction  was  one  of  the 
chief  reasons  why  he  was  so  indefatigable  and  accom- 
plished so  much.  At  Moradabad,  in  the  midst  of  the 
follies  and  superstitions  of  a  non-Christian  land,  the 
moral  destitution  of  the  people  forced  itself  upon  his 
attention  and  constantly  compelled  him  to  do  all  he 

could  to  help  and  to  save  them. 

106 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

In  the  month  of  July  an  incident  occurred  which  re- 
vealed the  deplorable  credulity  and  superstition  of  the 
people.  It  was  said  that  a  Hindu  fakir  came  one  even- 
ing to  a  river  in  the  territory  of  the  Nawab  of  Rampur, 
some  thirty  miles  from  Moradabad,  and  demanded  to 
be  taken  across  the  stream.  The  ferryman,  doubtless  a 
Mohammedan,  refused,  as  these  fakirs  never  pay  for 
anything.  The  fakir  that  night  made  a  bridge  of  earth 
across  the  stream  and  went  on  his  way.  The  story  of 
a  miraculous  bridge  began  to  spread  among  the  people. 
Thousands  flocked  to  the  place.  It  was  reported  that 
blind  and  lame  and  lepers  were  healed  by  bathing  at 
the  now  sacred  spot.  Two  months  afterward  Mr.  Par- 
ker, going  to  a  Quarterly  Conference  in  the  direction 
of  this  famed  bridge,  found  the  road  filled  with  pil- 
grims on  their  way  to  the  river.  He  also  met  the  blind 
and  lame  returning  from  the  place.  When  asked  if 
they  had  been  helped,  they  said  that  they  had  not  been 
cured,  but  others  had.  The  next  week,  in  another 
place,  Mr.  Parker  counted  four  hundred  pilgrims  on  the 
way  to  the  bridge,  some  of  whom  had  walked  two  hun- 
dred miles  to  reach  the  place.  And  the  sole  foundation 
for  all  this  excitement  was  the  simple  fact  that  a  large 
l)ank  of  earth  had  been  cut  away  from  a  place  where 
two  streams  met  and  this  had  formed  a  sand  bar  some 
distance  down  stream,  so  that  now  there  was  a  ford 
where  formerly  the  river  was  impassable.  How,  or 
why,  or  by  whom  the  story  of  a  miracle  wrought  by  the 
fakir  was  evolved  from  the  sand  bank  is  one  of  those 
mysteries  which  elude  investigation  and  make  all  at- 
tempts to  reach  the  foundations  of  popular  belief  in  In- 
dia so  inconclusive  and  unsatisfactory. 

.Westward  forty-five  miles  from  Moradabad  is  Garh- 

107 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

mukteshwar  ghat,  on  the  Ganges,  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar bathing  places  at  the  full  moon  of  the  Hindu  month 
Katik.  Usually  more  than  half  a  million  of  people  at- 
tend this  festival ;  and  as  it  is  in  the  cold  season  the  mis- 
sionaries arrange  for  a  preaching  campaign  in  force 
while  the  festival  continues.  How  they  work  is  ap- 
parent from  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Parker  December 
5,  1865: 

We  Christians  went  to.  the  fair  determined  that  we 
would  preach,  though  the  Hindus  did  not.  At  the  com- 
mencement we  selected  two  good  positions  for  preach- 
ing and  arranged  our  tent  for  a  book  stall  and  a  preach- 
er's stand.  We  then  divided  our  company  of  twelve 
into  four  parts,  arranging  that  two  companies  were  to 
keep  up  preaching  near  the  book  stalls  while  the  other 
companies  were  to  take  each  an  ox  cart  as  a  moving 
pulpit  and  go  where  they  could  find  the  most  people. 
In  this  way  we  had  preaching  at  four  different  places 
from  four  to  seven  hours  daily.  Our  congregations 
were  large.  Each  of  the  two  missionaries  and  each 
native  preacher  talked,  on  an  average,  four  hours  daily. 
While  one  preached  the  other  would  sell  books  or  an- 
swer questions.  If  our  crowd  got  too  noisy  at  one  place 
we  only  had  to  drive  our  moving  pulpit  on  to  a  more 
quiet  place.  We  thus  worked  four  days,  until  near  the 
close  of  the  fair,  when  the  noise  of  the  people  singing 
the  praises  of  the  Ganges  became  too  great  for  preach- 
ing. At  this  fair  we  sold  about  eight  hundred  Chris- 
tian books  and  tracts.  This  extra  effort  on  our  part 
disturbed  the  Hindu  pandits,  and  during  the  last  two 
days  they  tried  to  break  up  our  congregations.  I  never 
before  saw  them  so  much  disturbed.  May  God  keep 
and  bless  the  seed  sown ! 

That  these  fourteen  Christian  preachers  were  per- 
mitted to  carry  on  such  a  campaign  for  four  days  un- 
molested, in  the  midst  of  six  hundred  thousand  non- 

108 


Christians,  is  a  fact  to  be  pondered  by  those  who  would 
rightly  understand  the  conditions  of  the  Christian  prop- 
aganda in  India.  The  easy  tolerance  or  indifference 
which  led  the  people  to  hear  what  the  preachers  said  is 
no  proof  that  Hindus  are  liberal  minded  or  tolerant  in 
religious  matters.  If  one  of  those  Christian  preachers 
had  performed  an  overt  act  affecting  the  caste  of  any- 
one present  he  would  probably  have  paid  for  it  with  his 
life.  Not  many  years  later  a  few  Hindu  villagers  near 
Moradabad  tied  Mr.  Thoburn  to  a  tree  and  then  sat 
down  to  consider  whether  or  not  they  should  kill  him 
because  he  had  attempted  to  draw  water  from  the  vil- 
lage well.  The  Hindu  is  mild  in  disposition  compared 
with  the  European,  and  he  will  generally  submit  to 
mere  verbal  attacks  upon  his  creed,  but  touch  his  caste 
and  you  arouse  a  spirit  of  most  cruel  intolerance. 

Shortly  after  the  Garhmukteshwar  fair  Mr.  Parker 
led  another  attack  upon  the  forces  of  error  in  India  by 
means  of  a  Christian  camp  meeting.  It  was  opened  in 
a  grove  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  of  Amroha  Novem- 
ber 8,  1865,  and  was  held  with  the  purpose  of  increas- 
ing the  effectiveness  of  the  native  preachers  and  ad- 
vancing the  standard  of  spiritual  Christianity  in  the 
native  church.  The  indigenous  religions  of  India  are 
mere  formalism,  and  Mohammedanism  is  very  little 
better.  Among  such  people  it  is  difficult  to  implant  the 
idea  or  develop  the  experience  of  practical  spiritual  re- 
ligion. The  first  converts  were  all  simply  nominal 
Christians.  The  most  sincere  among  them  had  merely 
given  intellectual  assent  to  the  truth  of  Christianity ; 
the  idea  of  spiritual  personal  union  and  communion 
with  Christ  was  scarcely  apprehended  by  any  of  them. 

For  some  years  after  the  commencement  of  the  Mission 

109 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

the  missionaries  often,  when  by  themselves,  discussed 
the  question,  "Are  any  of  our  native  Christians  really 
converted?  Do  the  native  preachers  know  Christ?" 
And  often  was  the  desire  expressed  and  the  prayer 
offered  that  the  power  of  God  would  come  down  upon 
the  native  brethren.  The  Amroha  meeting  was  held  in 
hope  of  such  a  result.  It  was  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
District  Association,  which  Mr.  Parker  had  organized 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  and  it  was  resolved  to 
make  it,  as  far  as  possible,  a  real  camp  meeting.  Four 
missionaries,  twenty  native  assistants,  and  about  one 
hundred  other  native  Christians  occupied  the  camp. 
Mr.  Parker  began  with  a  sermon  on  camp  meetings; 
telling  what  they  were,  what  they  had  accomplished  in 
Christian  lands,  and  what  they  hoped  might  result 
from  them  in  India.  The  morning  meeting  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  literary  session  of  the  District  Association. 
At  4  P.  M.  five  bands  of  preachers  went  into  the  city 
and  preached  in  the  streets.  There  was  preaching  at 
night  in  the  camp,  followed  by  prayer  meeting.  What 
Mr.  Parker  thought  of  this  first  Methodist  camp  meet- 
ing in  North  India  is  evident  from  the  following : 

This  meeting  did  much  to  shake  the  formality  out  of 
our  little  church,  and  make  its  members  realize  that 
ours  is  a  religion  of  the  heart.  One  man,  eighty-five 
years  old,  who  has  for  five  years  been  a  Christian  and 
one  of  our  good  men  outwardly,  said  his  heart  had 
never  been  melted  before.  "But  now,"  said  he,  as  the 
tears  ran  down  his  cheeks,  "my  heart  is  tender."  On 
Tuesday  morning  we  met  for  our  closing  service  and 
again  our  Saviour  met  with  us.  Love  filled  all  our 
hearts,  tears  streamed  from  our  eyes,  and  all  felt  that 
they  could  go  to  work  with  new  strength  and  courage. 
That  meeting,  although  very  small  compared  with  the 

no 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

Hindu  gathering  at  Garhmukteshwar,  will  not  be  for- 
gotten so  long  as  any  who  were  there  are  alive.  No  one 
at  home  can  know  how  much  good  it  did  us  mission- 
aries. We  have  so  longed  and  prayed  for  a  season  of 
refreshing  among  the  people.  How  often  have  we 
thought  of  the  blessed  revival  meetings  at  home  and 
longed  for  them  here !  God  has  blessed  us  with  a  little 
church,  and  we  love  its  members  with  a  holy  love,  yet 
we  have  often  mourned  over  their  lack  of  spiritual  life. 
Most  of  them  had  not  clear  views  of  conversion  to  God, 
although  they  live  Christian  lives.  This  meeting  has 
done  much  to  revive  these  persons.  Although  it  was 
not  such  a  time  of  power  as  we  often  witness  when  a 
thousand  hearts  are  joined  together,  yet  it  was  a  step 
in  advance  and  next  year  we  will  look  for  still  greater 
triumphs. 

The  Amroha  meeting  raised  the  level  of  spiritual  life 
throughout  the  district,  and  the  last  two  months  of  Mr. 
Parker's  first  year  as  presiding  elder  were  prosperous 
and  promising.  On  the  2Oth  of  December  the  mission- 
ary force  on  the  district  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  S.  Weatherby  from  America.  The  pre- 
siding elder  closed  his  personal  record  of  the  year's 
work  with  thanks  to  God  for  grace  given  him  to  get  on 
so  pleasantly  with  all  his  brethren  and  for  the  great  love 
which  filled  his  heart.  The  comparative  progress  and 
importance  of  the  Moradabad  work  appears  in  the  sta- 
tistical returns  for  the  year.  The  total  number  of 
adults  baptized  in  the  Mission  during  the  year  was 
forty-seven,  and  twenty-eight  of  these  were  in  Morad- 
alxid  city  and  circuit. 

The  second  session  of  the  India  Mission  Conference 
was  held  at  Moradabad  February  1-7,  1866,  the  Rev. 
James  Baume,  president,  by  appointment  from  the 

bishop.    At  this  Conference  the  Mission  press  was  re- 

iii 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

moved  from  Bareilly  to  Lucknow,  thereby  necessitating 
exchange  of  districts  by  Messrs.  Judd  and  Waugh. 
No  other  change  was  made  in  the  appointments  of  mis- 
sionaries. Mr.  Parker  had  charge  of  the  Amroha  Cir- 
cuit. Mr.  Thoburn,  after  more  than  two  years'  absence, 
returned  from  America,  arriving  the  morning  Confer- 
ence opened.  At  this  Conference  the  first  step  was 
taken  toward  the  establishment  of  what  is  now  the  Reid 
Christian  College  at  Lucknow.  It  was  the  centenary 
year  of  American  Methodism,  and  a.  committee  ap- 
pointed to  consider  a  suitable  method  of  celebrating  the 
occasion  brought  in  a  report  which  contained  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Resolved,  That  as  a  Conference  we  will  attempt  to 
raise  during  the  coming  year  an  endowment  fund  for 
the  Lucknow  school  of  not  less  than  Rs.  10,000,  as  a 
nucleus  around  which  other  resources  may  gather  suf- 
ficient to  justify  us  in  applying  for  an  affiliation  with 
the  Calcutta  University. 

Conference  adjourned  on  the  7th  of  February  and 
Mr.  Parker  spent  the  next  two  months  visiting  those 
parts  of  his  district  which  were  on  the  plains.  Oppor- 
tunities for  work  were  multiplying  on  every  hand  and 
he  longed  for  spiritual  victories.  On  the  I5th  of  April 
he  held  the  Babukhera  Quarterly  Conference.  This 
was  the  center  of  the  region  whence  came  most  of  the 
Sikh  converts,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  heathenism 
mixed  with  their  Christianity.  "The  Babukhera  peo- 
ple," he  writes,  "need  religion  very  much.  O  for  power 
to  arouse  and  transform  all  this  region  !"  In  the  mean- 
time Mr.  Thoburn,  who  had  not  yet  gone  to  his  new 
appointment  in  Garhwal,  was  assisting  the  presiding 
elder,  and  together  with  Mr.  Mansell  they  held  pro- 


112 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

tracted  meetings  at  one  or  two  places  near  Moradabad 
with  very  promising  results.  On  the  i6th  of  April  Air. 
and  Mrs.  Parker  turned  their  steps  toward  Pauri,  ar- 
riving there  on  the  23d.  Mr.  Parker's  journal  has  the 
following : 

Arrived  at  Pauri  all  right  with  Brother  Thoburn  and 
Hettie  Mansell.  Hettie  is  to  remain  here  with  us  for 
six  months.  We  take  this  change,  as  we  believe  our 
health  demands  it.  Pauri  is  a  beautiful  place.  I  intend 
translating  some  Sabbath  school  books  while  here. 

A  record  of  Mr.  Parker's  work  which  made  no  men- 
tion of  Mrs.  Parker's  share  in  it  would  be  very  incom- 
plete, and  in  like  manner  a  portraiture  of  the  man  him- 
self which  tells  nothing  of  his  domestic  life  would  be 
very  imperfect.  On  this  account  room  is  made  here  for 
the  following  extract  from  Mr.  Parker's  journal  which 
some  may  consider  almost  too  sacred  to  be  made  public : 

March  2,  1866.  To-day  is  the  tenth  anniversary  of 
our  wedding  day.  I  spent  the  day  alone  with  my  wife. 
How  good  God  has  been  to  us  through  these  ten  years ! 
I  love  my  dear  wife  very  much.  She  is  an  invaluable 
helper  to  me  in  all  my  work,  and  she  saves  me  from  all 
care  alxiut  our  private  affairs  and  makes  my  home  so 
happy.  May  God  bless  my  dear  wife  and  give  us  wis- 
dom and  strength  for  yet  another  ten  years ! 

The  Parkers  returned  to  Moradabad  on  the  25th  of 
September,  having  had  six  months  at  Pauri  with  Mr. 
Thoburn.  If  the  schemes  of  ecclesiastical  administra- 
tion and  the  plans  for  mission  work  discussed  by  that 
brace  of  embryo  bishops  during  their  six  months'  com- 
panionship in  Pauri  had  been  written  down  the  record 
would  have  l>een  truly  wonderful.  But  it  was  not  all 
talk  or  visionary  speculation.  There  are  now  on  the 

(8)  "3 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

pages  of  the  book  of  Discipline  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  many  paragraphs  which  were  first 
thought  of  by  those  two  young  men  as  they  paced  back 
and  forth  on  the  veranda  of  the  Pauri  Mission  bunga- 
low, and  there  are  methods  of  mission  work  now  in 
successful  operation  which  are  the  materialization  of 
visions  which  passed  before  the  eyes  of  the  two  men  as 
they  looked  on  the  inspiring  panorama  which  begins  in 
the  mission  garden  and  ends  with  the  inaccessible  sum- 
mits of  Badrinath  and  Kedarnath.  But  years  of  hard 
work  and  scores  of  practical  experiments  intervened 
between  the  visions  and  their  fulfillment,  and  these 
sifted  the  seed  and  purified  the  crude  ore,  and  hence 
when  at  last  opportunity  came  for  translating  thought 
into  action  there  was  a  surprising  and  convincing  prac- 
ticability about  that  which  was  devised  which  com- 
pelled the  assent  of  all  who  were  in  any  way  concerned 
with  such  matters. 

While  at  Pauri  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  together  pre- 
pared a  Hindustani  version  of  Amos  Amfield,  and  also 
a  translation  and  enlargement  of  an  English  work  on 
Bible  evidences.  They  returned  to  Moradabad,  by  way 
of  Naini  Tal,  in  September,  and  Mr.  Parker  at  once 
began  his  district  work.  He  had  an  unpleasant  task  to 
perform  at  Bijnor,  where  the  missionary  in  charge  had 
incurred  a  debt  of  three  thousand  rupees  in  his  work 
and  was  disposed  to  resent  the  presiding  elder's  action 
in  the  matter.  The  annual  camp  meeting  and  District 
Association  was  held  at  Haraura,  near  Moradabad,  at 
which  time  the  organization  of  the  District  Associa- 
tion was  brought  nearer  completion  and  arrangements 
were  made  for  an  "industrial  association."  A  company 

was  to  be  formed  to  assist  poor  native  Christians  by 

114 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

furnishing  them  with  work  which  would  be  profitable 
to  laborer  and  employer.  This,  however,  proved  a 
failure. 

The  year  closed  with  a  good  watch-night  meeting 
at  Haraura.  From  there  the  Parkers  marched  with 
tents  by  way  of  Buda  on  to  Shahjahanpur  to  Confer- 
ence, which  opened  January  10,  1867.  At  this  Confer- 
ence Mr.  Mansell  was  transferred  from  Moradabad  to 
Bijnor,  taking  Mr.  Hauser's  place,  who  was  appointed 
to  Shahjahanpur.  There  were  now  five  circuits  on  the 
Moradabad  District  and  five  European  missionaries, 
including  the  presiding  elder,  who  was  also  in  charge 
of  the  Moradabad  and  Chandausi  Circuits,  with  S.  S. 
Weatherby  as  colleague.  The  Moradabad  city  school 
was  now  for  the  first  time  put  in  the  hands  of  a  Euro- 
pean head  master,  who  was  dismissed  for  drunkenness 
the  next  year. 

.  The  first  eight  months  of  1867  were  spent  in  visit- 
ing all  parts  of  the  district  except  the  mountains,  and  in 
teaching  and  preaching  in  and  about  Moradabad.  The 
presiding  elder's  ponies  went  everywhere,  and  worked 
almost  as  hard  as  their  master.  Moradabad  is  fifty- 
three  miles  from  Bijnor,  and  the  road  is  in  places  very 
heavy.  But  Mr.  Parker  in  his  journal  writes:  "Feb.  2. 
Left  Bijnor  at  6  A.  M.  and  reached  Moradabad  at 
1 1  P.  M."  Such  a  day's  work  was  no  uncommon  thing 
for  Mr.  Parker  down  even  to  1899.  The  record  of  this 
journey  has  the  following  touching  illustration  of  the 
characters  of  the  two  men,  "Leaving  Bijnor  Brother 
Mansell  came  out  with  me  to  a  grove  where  we  prayed 
together  for  God's  blessing."  This  was  a  good  "stirrup 
cup"  for  the  presiding  elder  with  the  heavy  day's  work 
before  him. 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Another  entry,  in  April,  shows  that  Mr.  Parker,  like 
Cyrus  Hamlin  of  Robert  College,  Constantinople,  had 
a  Yankee's  handiness  with  tools : 

Arranged  for  building  a  buggy  after  the  pattern  of 
my  own.  About  this  time  a  nice  cabinet  organ  arrived 
from  home  and  was  so  injured  that  it  would  not  make 
a  sound.  I  took  it  to  pieces,  renewed  the  glue,  and  now 
it  is  all  right  and  pleases  us  very  much. 

In  1867  came  the  "Maha  Coomb"  of  the  Hardwar 
mela,  the  Hindu  bathing  festival.  This  occurs  once  in 
twelve  years  and  is  always  an  immense  gathering.  In 
1867  it  was  estimated  that  nearly  ten  millions  of  people 
came.  On  the  fifth  day  cholera  broke  out  and  the 
crowd  was  dispersed  by  government  order.  The  roads 
leading  from  Hardwar  were  strewn  with  bodies  of  the 
dead.  Thousands  upon  thousands  perished.  New 
roads  were  made  around  the  towns  and  cities  so  that 
the  returning  multitudes  should  not  pass  through  them. 
Hardwar  is  less  than  one  hundred  miles  from  Morad- 
abad  and  lies  on  the  edge  of  Mr.  Parker's  district. 
There  was  death  everywhere,  yet  none  died  except  such 
as  had  gone  to  the  mela,  and  the  missionaries  and  their 
people  escaped.  The  following  incident,  however, 
shows  that  cholera  was  not  the  only  danger  to  which 
the  missionaries  were  exposed : 

June  25,  1867.  We  went  to  Joa  and  from  there  to 
Babukhera  with  Zahur-nl-Haqq.  It  rained  on  the  way 
over  and  all  the  way  back.  The  mud-built  houses  were 
in  a  fearful  condition.  It  ceased  raining  at  midnight 
and  we  started  for  home,  twenty  miles  distant.  Before 
we  had  gone  a  mile  the  rain  began  again,  and  being  in 
our  faces  we  were  soon  wet  through.  When  within  six 
miles  of  home  Mrs.  Parker  became  so  ill  she  could  go 

116 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

no  farther.  We  stopped  at  a  schoolhouse,  built  a  fire 
on  the  ground,  and  tried  to  dry  our  clothes.  We  re- 
mained here  until  eight  next  morning;  then,  though  it 
still  was  raining,  we  ran  the  ponies  toward  home. 
When  near  Moradabad  we  found  that  the  Ram  Ganga 
River  was  in  flood,  had  overtopped  its  banks,  and  was 
running  over  the  road  for  a  mile.  We,  however,  got 
safely  across,  and  reaching  home  found  the  people  try- 
ing hard  to  keep  the  houses  from  falling  down.  The 
chapel  particularly  was  in  danger,  walls  coming  down 
at  each  corner  and  on  one  side. 

The  weakening  effects  of  the  Indian  fever  which 
from  the  first  had  troubled  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker 
now  began  to  be  more  apparent,  and  they  realized  that 
it  might  be  necessary  for  them  to  leave  India  for  a  while 
to  regain  their  strength.  But  they  resolved  to  try  the 
hills  once  more,  and  on  the  3<Dth  of  August  they  left 
Moradabad  for  Pauri.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  the  rainy 
season,  and  the  exposure  and  privation  of  the  way  were 
such  that  they  suffered  much  from  illness  and  reached 
Pauri  in  worse  condition  than  when  they  left  Morad- 
abad. At  Pauri  Mrs.  Parker  grew  worse,  rather  than 
better,  and  after  two  weeks  they  retraced  their  steps. 
When  at  last  they  came  to  the  mission  house  at  Bijnor 
she  was  too  ill  to  travel  farther.  On  October  22  they 
finally  reached  Moradabad.  Concerning  Mrs.  Parker's 
condition  Mr.  Parker  writes :  "Her  lungs  are  so  much 
affected  by  the  fever  we  fear  for  her  life.  Should  her 
lungs  improve  then  she  must  go  home  to  America  at 
once  to  get  rid  of  the  fever.  This  is  our  only  hope.  I 
wrote  a  letter  asking  for  leave,  but  did  not  send  it,  as 
we  really  did  not  know  what  to  do." 

The  names  of  Zahur-ul-TTaqq  and  Andrias  are  often 

found  on  the  pages  of  Mr.  Parker's  journal,  and  it  is 

117 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

fitting  that  they  should  here  receive  fuller  notice.  In 
Mrs.  Humphrey's  Six  Years  in  India  there  is  an  ac- 
count of  Zahur-ul-Haqq's  conversion  and  baptism  at 
Bareilly  in  April,  1859.  He  was  originally  a  Moham- 
medan, and  he  was  the  first  fruit  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Mission  in  India.  He  was  one  of  the  four 
native  ministers  received  on  trial  at  the  Lucknow  Con- 
ference in  1864.  He  was  the  first  native  presiding 
elder  in  India,  and  long  occupied  a  leading  position 
among  the  native  members  of  Conference.  He  was  for 
many  years  Dr.  Parker's  "right-hand  man,"  and  each 
was  a  valuable  assistant  to  the  other.  Parker  and 
Haqq  made  a  strong  team.  It  was  a  unique  combina- 
tion of  West  and  East.  A  Yankee  and  an  Oriental! 
What  the  energy  of  one  could  not  accomplish  the 
diplomacy  of  the  other  would  achieve.  Haqq  stood 
well  with  all  the  missionaries  from  the  beginning,  but 
it  was  Mr.  Parker's  good  fortune  to  more  specifically 
set  feet  in  the  pathway  of  opportunity  which  led  to  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Parker  was  always  quick  in  discerning  the 
good  qualities  of  his  fellow-workers,  and  his  sagacity 
and  fitness  for  leadership  in  the  Church  were  clearly 
indicated  by  his  early  recognition  of  Zahur-ul-Haqq's 
abilities,  and  the  wisdom  with  which  he  utilized  them 
in  the  interests  of  Christ's  kingdom.  The  two  men 
were  about  the  same  age;  they  were  true  yokefellows, 
and  their  names  are  associated  in  the  memories  of  thou- 
sands in  India. 

Andrias  was  altogether  different ;  as  unlike  Zahur-ul- 
Haqq  as  both  were  unlike  the  Vermont  missionary. 
He  was  from  a  low  caste  among  the  Hindus  called 
Chumars,  or  workers  in  leather,  though  many  of  them 

are  farmers  and  laborers.     Bishop  Thoburn  describes 

118 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

him  as  "a  short,  square-shouldered,  resolute  man,  with 
very  little  culture,  but  an  immense  store  of  ready  wit,  a 
robust  faith,  a  manly  courage,  and  an  eloquent  tongue." 
Before  his  conversion  he  was  a  religious  mendicant,  or 
fakir,  having  all  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  his  class. 
Such  men  move  about  with  authority  among  their  co- 
religionists. Their  word  is  law  among  their  people; 
they  nominally  live  by  begging,  but  their  call  for  alms 
is  hardly  distinguishable  from  the  demands  of  the  gov- 
ernment taxgatherer.  Such  men  see  much  of  the  world 
and  are  usually  observant,  intelligent,  free  from  care, 
very  companionable,  and  very  interesting.  Their  mode 
of  life  gives  them  an  independent  and  authoritative 
manner.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  disconcert,  though 
it  is  easy  to  enrage,  them,  and  they  show  about  as  much 
respect  to  dignitaries  as  Diogenes  did  to  Alexander. 
Their  profession  being  a  religious  one,  they  are  more 
or  less  given  to  discussion  of  religious  matters.  Such 
a  man  was  Andrias.  He  became  a  Christian  in  1862, 
but  at  first  there  was  no  thought  of  his  becoming  an 
evangelist.  The  following  extract  from  Bishop  Tho- 
burn's  Missionary  Apprenticeship  tells  how  Andrias 
became  a  preacher : 

Andrias  had  attained  some  celebrity  as  a  Guru  be- 
fore becoming  a  Christian,  but  he  had  been  in  the  Mis- 
sion some  time  before  any  one  suspected  that  he  had  in 
him  the  elements  of  a  popular  preacher.  He  was  hold- 
ing a  petty  post  on  five  rupees  a  month  when  one  day 
his  ability  as  a  speaker  was  unexpectedly  discovered. 
Mr.  Parker  was  going  out  to  Kunderki  to  preach  on  a 
market  day,  when  at  the  last  moment  he  discovered  that 
he  had  no  one  to  go  with  him.  In  noisy  market  places 
it  is  very  desirable  for  the  missionary  to  have  some  one 
to  take  his  place  when  he  becomes  tired,  that  he  may 

119 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

obtain  a  brief  rest  and  be  able  to  take  the  stand  again 
with  renewed  strength.  On  this  occasion  no  one  else 
could  be  found,  and  as  the  emergency  was  great  An- 
drias  was  asked  if  he  could  take  a  turn  in  talking  to  the 
people,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  occupying  the  time, 
and  he  at  once  consented.  When  his  turn  came  he 
mounted  the  cart,  which  served  as  the  outdoor  pulpit, 
and  began  to  talk,  and  at  once  the  people  began  to  press 
around.  He  spoke  like  a  master.  He  parried  blows 
from  opponents  with  great  readiness  and  gave  thrusts 
like  a  master  of  his  art.  From  that  day  Andrias  was 
numbered  among  our  preachers,  and  when  I  first  met 
him  he  had  just  become  settled  in  his  first  independent 
appointment. 

The  camp  meeting  at  Sambhal  near  the  close  of 
October  was  a  very  successful  one,  and  amid  so  much 
discouragement  from  failing  health  cheered  the  mis- 
sionaries very  much.  Mr.  Parker  writes  concerning  it 
that  he  had  one  of  the  "best  times"  preaching  in  Hindu- 
stani that  he  had  ever  known.  But  he  was  perplexed 
on  account  of  the  condition  of  his  own  health  as  well  as 
that  of  Mrs.  Parker.  His  journal  shows  how  he  felt 
about  it : 

During  this  cold  season  I  worked  in  the  school  regu- 
larly three  hours  daily  and  visited  the  outstations. 
Yet  all  the  time  I  had  a  very  bad  cough  and  was  very 
weak  and  unfit  for  work.  Mrs.  Parker  also  was  in  very 
poor  health.  All  said  we  would  have  to  leave  India  for 
a  time  or  die.  Yet  we  disliked  to  think  of  going,  as 
there  is  so  much  to  do  and  so  many  others  must  go. 
Sister  Gracey  is  so  poorly  that  they  are  going  off  at 
once.  Mr.  Hauser  is  also  about  going,  and  Mr.  Jack- 
son is  talking  of  going.  On  this  account  we  said  noth- 
ing, but  determined  to  keep  on  another  year.  On  the 
24th  of  December  I  had  a  public  examination  of  the 

1 20 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

Moradabad  school  with  distribution  of  prizes.  It 
passed  off  very  well. 

Although  during  1867  I  worked  very  hard  all  the 
time  in  every  way,  and  tried  to  pray  and  trust  in  God 
as  never  before,  yet  I  did  not  see  the  fruit  of  my  labors 
as  I  had  hoped.  There  was  too  much  work,  and  hence 
effort  was  not  sufficiently  concentrated. 

Jan.  2,  1868.  All  the  missionaries  and  native  helpers 
on  the  district  met  at  Amroha  to-day  for  District  Asso- 
ciation. This  association  or  Annual  Conference  for  the 
district  had  its  first  meeting  at  Amroha  in  November, 
1865,  and  has  been  maturing  ever  since.  At  the  present 
meeting  a  constitution  and  course  of  study  were 
adopted.  The  constitution  makes  this  a  District  Con- 
ference for  the  direction  of  the  work  generally  and  for 
the  general  improvement  of  the  members.  The  ap- 
pointments of  the  local  preachers  and  exhorters  are 
made  at  this  Conference  by  a  cabinet  composed  of  the 
presiding  elder  and  all  the  preachers  in  charge  on  the 
district.  The  course  of  study  provides  for  one  year's 
course  before  entering  the  Conference  and  four  years 
afterward.  If  I  do  no  other  work  in  India,  I  think  the 
maturing  and  starting  of  this  native  Conference  is  a 
good  deal.  The  other  districts  are  following  us  in  this. 
I  believe  God  directed  it. 

In  Bishop  Thoburn's  Missionary  Apprenticeship  he 
remarks  that  this  District  Conference  organization  was 
the  principal  topic  of  discussion  with  Mr.  Parker,  Mr. 
Mansell,  and  himself  while  the  three  were  together  at 
Pauri  in  September.  It  was  the  harvest  of  counsel  and 
experience.  With  very  slight  modification  it  became  a 
part  of  the  organic  law  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  the  experience  of  subsequent  years  affirms 
that  the  measure  was  a  wise  and  helpful  step  forward. 

The  Conference  of  1868  was  held  at  Bijnor,  begin- 
ning January  16.  Mr.  Weatherby  was  sent  to  Bahraich 


121 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

and  Mr.  Thoburn  took  his  place  at  Moradabad.  Mr. 
Mansell  took  Mr.  Thoburn's  place  at  Pauri,  and  Bijnor 
was  left  for  Mr.  Hoskins,  then  on  his  way  from  Amer- 
ica. He  arrived  at  Moradabad  on  the  8th  of  February, 
and  on  the  5th  of  March  the  presiding  elder  accom- 
panied the  new  missionaries  to  Bijnor,  starting  them  in 
their  work  where,  more  than  eight  years  before,  he  had 
begun  his  own.  While  at  Bijnor  the  civil  surgeon,  Dr. 
Gardener,  told  Mr.  Parker  that  he  and  Mrs.  Parker 
should  not  risk  their  lives  by  remaining  longer  in  India. 
If  they  did  not  soon  go  to  some  other  country  their 
lives  would  be  cut  short;  it  was  necessary  to  get  free 
from  the  fever  which  for  six  years  had  clung  to  them. 
Impressed  by  the  advice  of  their  good  and  sagacious 
friend,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  began  to  think  seriously 
of  following  it.  They  secured  further  medical  advice, 
then  submitted  the  question  by  circular  to  the  mission- 
aries, who  unanimously  voted  in  favor  of  their  going 
at  once.  This  decided  the  matter.  The  journal  says : 

As  all  of  the  brethren  in  the  Mission  voted  us  emer- 
gent leave  we  decided  to  go  at  once,  before  we  were 
weaker  from  the  heat.  We  do  not  leave  India  because 
we  are  afraid  to  die,  but  because  we  love  India  and 
want  to  live  for  India.  We  hope  to  recover  our  health 
and  return  to  India  and  spend  years  yet  for  God  there. 
Meantime  while  away  we  design  working  for  India 
constantly.  We  can  write,  preach,  lecture,  and  collect 
money  for  our  loved  work.  We  continued  our  work  in 
Moradabad  until  time  to  start  for  Calcutta.  We 
taught  daily  in  schools  and  preached  as  usual  until 
April  12.  Our  passage  had  been  engaged  on  the  sail- 
ing ship  Zephyr,  advertised  to  sail  April  20  from  Cal- 
cutta to  Boston  direct.  All  the  native  Christians  at 
Moradabad  remained  up  until  midnight  to  see  us  off. 
All  seemed  to  show  love  and  gratitude  for  what  we  had 


122 


THE  MORADABAD  DISTRICT 

done  for  them.  O,  how  we  love  those  dear  ones,  chil- 
dren of  Christ  who  have  grown  up  around  us,  and  for 
whom  we  have  labored  and  prayed  so  much ! 

Thus  unexpectedly  terminated  Mr.  Parker's  first 
term  of  missionary  service.  On  the  I2th  of  April, 
1859,  he  said  farewell  to  friends  in  Boston,  and  on  the 
1 2th  of  April,  1868,  he  took  leave  of  his  missionary 
colleague  and  the  native  church  at  Moradabad.  When 
he  became  presiding  elder  of  Moradabad  District  there 
were  forty  church  members  and  thirty-eight  probation- 
ers; when  three  years  and  three  months  later  he  gave 
over  the  district  to  Mr.  Thoburn  there  were  five  circuits, 
with  one  hundred  and  ten  church  members  and  ninety- 
five  probationers.  Progress  was  necessarily  slow  in  these 
days  of  beginnings,  yet  the  Moradabad  District  stood  at 
the  head  in  regard  to  converts.  Deducting  the  children 
in  the  orphanages  at  Bareilly  and  Shahjahanpore,  the 
number  of  Christians  on  the  Moradabad  District  was 
much  more  than  one  half  the  number  in  the  entire  Mis- 
sion. And  concerning  all  the  advance  in  workers, 
membership,  schools,  stations,  and  substations  on  the 
Moradabad  District  its  first  presiding  elder  could  justly 

say  Quorum  pars  fui. 

123 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


IIL    INTERLUDE 


CHAPTER  I. — HOMEWARD  BOUND 

IN  1859  it  was  an  eight  days'  journey  from  Calcutta 
to  Lucknow.  In  1868  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  were  able 
to  reach  Calcutta  in  five  days  from  Moradabad,  which 
is  two  hundred  miles  beyond  Lucknow.  If  the  Par- 
kers had  been  disposed  to  interpret  hindrances  to  their 
departure  as  signs  of  God's  disapproval  they  would 
have  had  good  reason  for  believing  that  it  was  not  his 
will  for  them  to  leave  India.  They  had  had  a  tedious 
time  getting  into  Calcutta  in  1859,  but  now  getting 
away  was  far  worse.  In  the  first  place,  they  learned 
that  the  Zephyr,  instead  of  sailing  on  the  2Oth  of  April, 
would  not  start  before  the  5th  of  May ;  in  fact,  the  ship 
did  not  get  off  until  the  9th  of  May.  This,  however, 
was  only  a  false  start.  The  steam  tug  took  the  vessel  a 
short  distance  down  the  river  and  then  returned  to  the 
dock  for  coal.  The  Zephyr  remained  at  anchor  in 
the  river  five  days,  at  one  time  narrowly  escaping  col- 
lision with  another  vessel,  and  several  times  in  danger 
of  being  driven  from  her  anchorage  by  "Nor'westers." 
On  the  1 3th  the  steamer  returned  and  towed  them  down 
the  river.  On  the  way  the  Zephyr  struck  a  sand  bar 
and  was  in  danger  of  capsizing.  She,  however,  worked 
her  way  through  the  bar  and  at  night  cast  anchor  at 

Saugar  Island.    There  the  steamer  left  them,  and  they 

124 


HOMEWARD  BOUND 

waited  four  days  longer  in  the  dangerous  river.  At 
last,  on  the  I7th  of  May,  the  captain  paid  another 
steamer  eleven  hundred  rupees  to  take  him  out  to  sea. 
By  2  P.  M.  the  Zephyr  was  outside  and,  spreading  sail, 
started  with  a  head  wind  for  home  just  one  month  after 
the  Parkers'  arrival  in  Calcutta.  The  delay  at  Cal- 
cutta was  all  the  more  regrettable  because  at  that  very 
time  the  schools  at  Moradabad  were  in  such  urgent 
need  of  their  services. 

A  disappointed  man  is  generally  more  or  less  dispir- 
ited and  given  to  complaint.  Mr.  Parker  in  coming  to 
India  had  no  reason  for  anticipating  failure  in  health, 
and  it  was  no  doubt  a  sore  disappointment  to  him  to  be 
driven  from  the  field.  But  his  journal  is  free  from 
either  discouraged  or  querulous  records.  Judged  by 
this  severe  test  he  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  healthy 
and  courageous  spirit.  On  the  5th  of  October,  when 
nearing  the  American  coast,  he  writes : 

All  things  considered,  we  have  had  a  pleasant  voy- 
age. Our  physicians  prescribed  a  long  sea  voyage  and 
we  most  certainly  have  had  one.  Two  days  more  will 
make  five  months  we  have  been  on  board  this  ship.  Yet 
the  months  have  passed  quickly,  quietly,  and  pleasantly. 

And  yet  the  condition  of  his  health  was  such  as  to 
give  cause  for  anxiety.  He  had  no  fever  while  at  sea,  but 
during  the  last  four  months  of  the  voyage  he  had  been 
obliged  to  restrict  his  diet  until  when  the  extract  given 
above  was  written  he  had  been  living  for  weeks  on 
bread  toast.  Mrs.  Parker's  health  was  benefited  by  the 
voyage  much  more  than  his  own.  He  comforted  him- 
self with  the  belief  that  the  air  of  Vermont  would  soon 

make  him  all  right.     Another  extract  from  the  entry 

125 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

of  October  5  is  given  because  it  shows  so  clearly  the 
manner  of  man  he  was : 

We  have  been  very  happy  all  the  way  along  with 
each  other  and  with  God.  How  good  it  is  to  have  such 
a  God  as  our  God,  such  a  present  and  loving  Saviour ! 
How  we  love  him  and  love  to  feel  his  presence  in  our 
hearts !  We  have  prayed  much  during  this  voyage  and 
have  been  cheered  in  our  hearts.  We  have  also  tried  to 
consecrate  ourselves  anew  to  God's  work,  and  become 
more  and  more  fit  for  what  he  may  have  for  us  to  do. 
We  have  thought  much  and  talked  much  more  of  get- 
ting back  to  India  than  of  getting  home.  We  have 
also  prayed  much  for  our  loved  work  and  loved 
brethren,  and  trust  that  God  permits  us  in  this  way  to 
do  something  for  him  and  his  work,  so  dear  to  us,  in 
India.  Nothing  short  of  the  providence  of  God  in  tak- 
ing away  our  health  could  keep  us  from  returning  to 
India  in  God's  good  time.  May  God  keep  us  both  and 
return  us  safely  to  India.  Sometimes  for  a  moment  I 
have  feared  that  our  health  was  too  far  gone  to  be  re- 
gained sufficiently  for  our  return  to  India.  Yet  only 
once  did  such  a  thought  get  full  possession  of  my  mind. 
At  that  time  I  prayed  God  that,  if  I  must  be  laid  aside, 
a  better  man  might  take  my  place.  But  now  my  hope  is 
very  strong  that  the  air  of  our  native  hills  will  help  us 
and  restore  us  to  India  and  India  to  us.  We  are  cheer- 
ful and  happy.  Although  Mrs.  Parker  has  not  seen  a 
woman's  face  for  five  months,  she  always  presents  a 
smiling  countenance.  This  voyage  will  not  be  put 
down  as  one  of  the  dark  spots  of  our  life,  but  a  season 
of  peace,  comfort,  and  sweet  communion  with  God  and 
with  each  other. 

This  certainly  is  a  unique  testimony  from  a  man 
who,  after  years  of  suffering  from  ill  health,  was  at  last 
driven  from  the  field,  and  after  five  months  at  sea  was 

on  prison  diet.    He  appears,  however,  to  have  suffered 

126 


HOMEWARD  BOUND 

much  less  from  seasickness  than  on  the  outward  voy- 
age, and  he  and  Mrs.  Parker  were  able  to  do  an  amount 
of  literary  work  which  made  the  voyage  "a  season  of 
pleasant  labor."  The  story  of  William  Taylor's  work 
in  Africa,  a  little  book,  The  Bible  True,  and  Woman 
and  Her  Saviour  in  Persia,  were  translated  into  Hindu- 
stani, and  by  Mrs.  Parker  neatly  copied  in  Roman 
Urdu,  ready  to  be  sent  back  to  the  press  in  Lucknow. 
It  was  indeed  an  ideal  opportunity.  The  absolute  free- 
dom from  interruption  and  the  unlimited  leisure  at  their 
command  were  conditions  which  might  well  excite 
envy. 

The  Parkers  landed  at  Boston  October  8,  1868,  just 
one  hundred  and  fifty-two  days  from  their  going  on 
board  at  Calcutta.  Mr.  Parker's  health  at  first  im- 
proved much,  but  soon  his  old  maladies  returned,  and 
he  was  sorely  disappointed  when,  in  October,  1869,  his 
physician  absolutely  forbade  his  return  at  that  time  to 
India.  During  the  year  1870  there  was  some  improve- 
ment, yet  physician  and  missionary  secretary  both  op- 
posed his  going  back.  But  so  urgent  was  Mr.  Parker 
in  his  request  that  at  last  Dr.  William  L.  Harris,  the 
missionary  secretary,  said,  "Very  well,  go;  but  at  your 
own  risk."  In  a  subsequent  interview,  however,  the 
secretary  was  more  pliable,  and  said  to  Mr,  Parker  that 
if  his  health  should  necessitate  a  speedy  return  to 
America  the  Missionary  Society  would  sanction  his  re- 
turn and  meet  the  expense.  So  with  a  glad  heart  these 
two  went  out  the  second  time,  and,  as  will  be  seen  in 
the  course  of  this  narrative,  they  were  enabled  to  give 
more  than  twelve  years  of  good  work  to  India  before 

returning  a  second  time  to  America. 

127 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  II. — THE  WOMAN'S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY 
SOCIETY 

THAT  very  successful  benevolent  and  evangelistic 
organization  known  as  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  the 
outcome  of  the  experience  and  prayers  and  efforts  of  a 
large  number  of  persons,  men  and  women,  missionaries 
and  others.  And  yet,  although  so  many  persons  had  a 
share  in  the  work,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  society 
owes  its  existence  more  to  Edwin  W.  Parker  than  to 
any  other  man  or  woman,  not  even  excepting  Mrs.  Par- 
ker herself.  The  plan  of  having  a  number  of  coor- 
dinate branches  was  his  idea;  the  constitution  of  the 
society  was  mainly  prepared  by  him ;  the  rules  for  the 
society's  work  in  the  mission  field  in  connection  with 
the  work  of  the  general  society,  which  were  first 
adopted  by  the  Central  Conference  in  India  and  which 
at  the  General  Conference  of  1884  saved  the  Woman's 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  from  absorption  into  the 
general  society,  were  mainly  thought  out  and  arranged 
by  Mr.  Parker.  The  whole  story  is  an  interesting  one 
in  the  annals  of  Methodistic  mission  efforts,  and  as  the 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  will  probably 
stand  out  as  the  greatest  achievement  of  Mr.  Parker's 
missionary  career  it  is  fitting  that  an  extended  notice 
of  its  origin  and  of  Mr.  Parker's  share  in  the  work  find 
a  place  in  the  story  of  his  life.  Mrs.  Parker's  story  of 
the  beginnings  of  the  society  is  clear,  concise,  and 

authentic,  and  naturally  has  right  of  way  in  this  record : 

128 


THE  WOMAN'S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

When  the  mission  work  of  our  Church  was  com- 
menced in  India  there  was  very  little  that  could  be  done 
for  the  women.  The  most  of  them  were  inaccessible 
even  to  the  missionary's  wife.  But  the  ladies  com- 
menced work  by  teaching  the  daughters  of  Christians 
and  inquirers,  and  sometimes  children  of  the  servants, 
in  what  were  called  then  "veranda  schools."  Several 
of  our  present  native  preachers'  wives  commenced  their 
education  in  these  little  schools.  But  as  time  went  on 
here  and  there  the  ladies  were  able  to  open  schools  for 
Hindu  and  Mohammedan  girls  and  a  few  zenanas  were 
open  to  the  lady  missionary  and  her  assistants.  Then 
we  began  to  feel  the  need  of  money  to  carry  on  this 
work,  as  the  people  were  not  willing  to  pay  for  books  or 
teachers  for  their  girls.  The  work  seemed  very  impor- 
tant, as  we  knew  Christianity  would  not  prevail  where 
the  women  were  left  in  ignorance.  We  appealed  to 
Secretary  Durbin  for  funds  for  this  work.  He  replied 
that  we  had  received  for  our  mission  work  all  the 
money  the  Church  had  placed  at  his  disposal  and  he 
could  do  no  more.  So  we  went  on  doing  the  best  we 
could,  and  collected  money  from  local  sources  and 
friends  so  that  we  could  keep  up  the  work  open  to  us  in 
schools  and  zenanas. 

In  1868  we  were  obliged  to  return  to  America  on  ac- 
count of  failing  health.  Before  leaving  India  in  1868 
I  received  letters  from  Mrs.  Waugh,  Mrs.  Judd,  and 
Mrs.  Messmore  asking  me  to  tell  the  story  of  our  needs 
to  the  women  of  our  Church  at  home  and  ask  their  help 
in  this  new  work.  On  the  long  voyage  home  we 
thought  much  of  this  need  and  often  asked  Cod  to  open 
the  way  by  which  money  for  this  work  could  be  se- 
cured. On  reaching  Boston  we  were  entertained  by 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  William  Butler,  who  became  much  inter- 
ested in  our  accounts  of  the  work,  and  wherever  we 
went  we  found  friends  ready  to  aid.  It  soon  became 
evident  that  this  irresponsible  way  of  collecting  and 
disbursing  money  would  not  result  in  permanent  help 
to  our  work.  We  knew  of  the  ladies'  Union  Society, 

(9)  I29 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

and  our  Mission  had  received  gifts  from  it.  The  ladies 
of  the  Congregational  churches  had  a  short  time  before 
organized  a  Woman's  Missionary  Society.  So  we  began 
to  think  that  this  was  what  Methodist  women  ought  to 
do ;  but  it  was  new  work,  and  the  women  at  first  shrank 
from  the  responsibility.  But  the  Butlers  urged  the 
matter  in  the  East,  the  Graceys  were  active  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  on  our  travels  in  the  West  we  found  several 
persons  ready  to  help  in  the  matter.  Mrs.  Jennie 
Fowler  Willing,  of  Rockford,  111.,  promised  to  work  up 
the  matter  in  that  section. 

The  city  of  New  York,  as  headquarters  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
was  evidently  the  place  where  this  woman's  society 
should  be  organized  and  located,  but  for  some  reason 
the  New  York  people  did  not  get  started  and  Boston 
has  the  honor  of  beginning  the  organization.  The 
actual  commencement  is  traced  back  to  a  missionary 
sermon  preached  in  Boston,  March  14,  1869,  by  the 
founder  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Missions  in  India, 
Dr.  William  Butler.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  Flanders,  of 
the  Tremont  Street  Church,  heard  this  sermon  arid 
afterward  met  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  at  Dr.  Butler's 
residence.  As  the  result  of  this  meeting  an  invitation 
was  read  in  Boston  pulpits  from  a  committee  of  the 
Ladies'  Benevolent  Society  of  the  Tremont  Street 
Church,  asking  those  who  were  interested  in  the  forma- 
tion of  a  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  to  be 
present  at  the  Tremont  Street  Church  on  Tuesday, 
March  23,  and  hear  what  Mrs.  Parker  and  Mrs.  Butler 
had  to  say  on  the  subject.  The  day  proved  stormy  and 
only  seven  ladies  met  the  two  missionaries.  Mrs.  Flan- 
ders presided,  Mrs.  Butler  led  in  prayer,  and  Mrs.  Par- 
ker told  the  story  of  woman's  needs  and  woman's  respon- 

130 


THE  WOMAN'S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

sibility  in  such  a  thrilling  and  impressive  manner  that 
those  who  heard  her  resolved  that  a  Woman's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  should  at  once  be  organized.  A  list 
of  names  of  officers  of  the  society  was  prepared  and  ac- 
cepted, and  the  meeting  adjourned  until  the  next  Tues- 
day. This  day  also  was  very  stormy,  but  the  meeting 
had  been  advertised  in  all  the  churches  and  the  attend- 
ance was  larger.  At  this  second  meeting  a  carefully 
prepared  constitution  was  presented  to  and  adopted  by 
and  for  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Parker  was  not  present  at  these  historic  meet- 
ings, but  his  hand  wrote  the  first  draft  of  the  constitu- 
tion which  was  presented  and  accepted  at  the  second 
meeting.  This  organization  was  the  first  fruits  of 
months  of  thought  and  prayer  on  the  part  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Parker,  and  now,  when  the  society  had  actually 
been  formed,  he  advertised  its  existence,  explained  its 
character  and  aims,  and  advocated  its  claims  in  his  mis- 
sionary addresses  everywhere. 

It  was,  however,  soon  discovered  that  if  the  new 
society  would  receive  the  hearty  support  of  the  entire 
Church  its  constitution  must  be  modified  and  broadened 
to  allow  greater  freedom  of  action  in  other  centers  of 
Church  influence.  While  New  England  was  content  to 
follow  the  lead  of  Boston,  and  it  seemed  appropriate  to 
have  local  organizations  auxiliary  to  a  Boston  society, 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  and  the 
Central  West  and  the  great  Northwest  were  not  ready 
to  have  their  benevolences  managed  by  a  committee  of 
Boston  ladies.  An  attempt  was  made  to  harmonize 
these  conflicting  claims.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  were 

sent  to  New  York  in  the  hope  that  some  plan  might 

131 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

there  be  devised  which  would  work  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  parties,  but  after  a  day  spent  in  fruitless  dis- 
cussion they  were  returning  unsuccessful.  They  trav- 
eled by  sea,  and  on  the  boat  Mr.  Parker  thought  out  the 
present  plan  of  coordinate  branches,  instead  of  auxil- 
iaries, in  all  the  great  centers  of  the  country.  This  plan 
met  with  entire  approval  and  saved  the  society  from 
early  shipwreck. 

Another  serious  menace  to  the  existence  of  the  so- 
ciety as  a  separate  organization  reached  its  climax  in 
the  General  Conference  of  1884,  when  the  society  was 
fifteen  years  old  and  its  missionaries  were  at  work  in  all 
the  principal  missions  of  the  general  society.  In  some 
of  the  foreign  missions  there  had  been  trouble  between 
the  missionaries  of  the  two  societies.  There  were  ques- 
tions of  administration  which  were  not  easily  settled. 
There  were  differences  of  opinion  concerning  rights 
and  responsibilities  of  missionaries.  In  some  cases 
there  was  ignorance  of  the  organic  law  of  the  Church 
and  the  duty  and  right  of  preachers  in  charge.  There 
were  property  questions,  and,  perhaps  most  serious  of 
all,  there  was  the  matter  of  control  of  the  native  agents 
of  the  societies.  A  teacher  or  preacher  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  general  society  and  his  wife  was  in  the 
service  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 
If  each  society  exercised  independent  authority  in  ap- 
pointing its  agents  to  their  work  the  husband  might 
be  sent  to  Dan  and  the  wife  to  Beersheba,  and  some- 
times the  latter  appointment  would  be  made  just  for 
the  sake  of  asserting  the  right  of  independent  appoint- 
ment. These  things  harassed  the  missionaries  and 
were  often  a  trial  to  the  superintendents  and  missionary 

secretaries,  and  in  certain  influential  quarters  a  strong 

132 


THE  WOMAN'S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

purpose  was  formed  to  deprive  the  Woman's  Society  of 
its  autonomy  and  reduce  it  to  the  position  of  a  collect- 
ing agency  for  the  general  society. 

But,  strange  to  say,  one  great  mission  field  was  free 
from  these  troubles.  In  India  the  two  societies  worked 
in  harmony.  The  credit  of  maintaining  this  harmony 
largely  belongs  to  the  wise  leader  of  the  Woman's  For- 
eign Missionary  Society  in  India,  Isabella  Thoburn, 
and  to  Edwin  \V.  Parker.  Miss  Thoburn's  personal 
influence  was  a  constant  and  effective  restraint  upon 
any  missionaries  of  the  society  who  were  so  unwise  as 
to  wish  for  complete  freedom  from  the  authority  of  the 
agents  of  the  general  society  who  were  in  charge  of  the 
mission  stations,  and  Mr.  Parker,  as  the  framer  of  the 
wise  rules  concerning  the  relation  of  the  Woman's 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  missionaries  to  the  author- 
ities of  the  Church,  removed  all  cause  for  complaint 
and  left  no  reason  why  sensible  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  missionaries  should  wish  for  complete 
independence.  "The  rules  which  fix  the  relation  of  the 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  to  the  mission- 
ary authorities  of  the  Church  and  also  to  the  other 
workers  in  the  foreign  fields,  which  were  first  adopted 
by  the  first  Central  Conference  in  India  and  afterward 
incorporated  in  the  chapter  in  the  Discipline  on  Wom- 
an's Foreign  Missionary  Society  work,  were  prepared 
by  Mr.  Parker  in  consultation  with  the  ladies  in  the 
India  Mission."  These  had  worked  so  well  in  India 
that  they  were  approved  by  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  executive  in  America;  and  when  Mr. 
Parker  was  able  to  assure  the  General  Conference  that 
the  Woman's  Society  was  ready  to  work  under  these 

regulations  the  strength  of  the  opposition  was  broken. 

133 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

In  ttoe  General  Conference  of  1884  Mr.  Parker  as- 
sisted largely  in  preparing  the  chapter  in  the  Discipline 
which  was  then  adopted.  At  each  visit  to  America  he 
did  much  to  aid  the  society,  and  had  more  invitations  to 
speak  for  the  ladies'  than  for  the  general  society.  Some 
of  his  last  work  in  America  was  for  the  society.  The 
ladies  often  made  grateful  mention  of  the  help  he  had 
given  them.  The  secretary  of  the  New  England 
Branch,  Mrs.  L.  A.  Alderman,  writing  in  1885  to  Mrs. 
Parker,  makes  the  following  hearty  acknowledgment  of 
help  the  society  had  received  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker 
during  their  visit  home  in  1883-84: 

I  thank  God  that  you  were  permitted  to  come  home 
in  1883,  and  by  your  personal  presence  and  words  of 
knowledge,  wisdom,  and  courage  to  give  new  inspira- 
tion to  so  many  hearts  in  this  land.  How  much  we 
owe  to  you  both  for  the  present  position  and  command- 
ing influence  of  our  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety as  one  of  the  benevolences  of  our  Church  we  can- 
not compute  mathematically,  but  this  we  do  know : 
Brother  Parker  was  the  God-honored  leader  in  bring- 
ing us  to  the  place  where  we  now  stand. 

The  same  lady  in  writing  to  Mr.  Parker  assured  him 
that  the  record  of  his  efforts  is  on  high,  and  the  results 
were  being  realized  through  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  home  land  wherever  the  work  of  the  Woman's  For- 
eign Missionary  Society  had  reached.  Surely  it  is  sim- 
ple truth  to  affirm  that  this  noble  society  may  be  consid- 
ered a  memorial  of  the  missionary  career  of  Edwin  W. 
Parker  and  his  wife.  And  yet  the  service  he  rendered 
this  society  was  merely  supplementary  to  his  duty  as 

a  missionary  of  the  general  Missionary  Society. 

134 


GETTING  BACK  TO  INDIA 


IV.    SECOND  TERM  OF  SERVICE— J87J-J882 


CHAPTER  I. — GETTING  BACK  TO  INDIA 

THE  Suez  Canal  made  Africa  an  island,  but  it  joined 
India  to  Europe  and  America.  The  opening  of  this 
new  route  between  West  and  East  brought  many  new 
privileges  to  Europeans  living  in  India ;  American  mis- 
sionaries especially  have  much  reason  to  be  thankful 
for  it.  In  earlier  times  a  long  and  monotonous  sea 
voyage  separated  them  from  the  home  land.  Now 
they  leave  New  York  or  Quebec  with  the  prospect 
of  a  pleasantly  diversified  journey  of  four  or  five 
weeks,  by  sea  and  land,  leading  through  interesting 
parts  of  the  Old  World  and  furnishing  opportunity 
for  visiting  such  places  as  London,  Paris,  and  Rome. 
This  change  in  the  route  between  America  and  India 
had  been  made  during  Mr.  Parker's  first  term  of  serv- 
ice in  India,  but  as  his  physician  had  prescribed  a  long 
sea  voyage  he  returned  home  by  the  old  route  by  way 
of  the  Cape.  When  he  set  out  from  home  the  second 
time  he  went  to  Bombay  by  way  of  Liverpool,  Gibral- 
tar, and  Port  Said. 

On  the  2 1st  of  September,  1870,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Par- 
ker sailed  from  New  York  and  on  the  nth  of  Novem- 
ber reached  Bombay.  This  second  departure  from  the 
home  land  lacked  some  of  the  elements  which  in  1859 
made  their  outgoing  a  memorable  event.  Then  they 

135 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

went  out  not  knowing  what  would  befall  them.  They 
were  taking  a  leap  into  the  dark.  They  were  going  out 
to  a  new  world,  to  a  new  life  and  experiences,  and  the 
romantic,  mystery  of  the  occasion  was  increased  by  the 
fact  that  they  had  little  hope  of  ever  returning  to  their 
native  land.  In  1870  all  was  different.  India  was  no 
longer  to  them  a  shadowy,  unknown  land.  Its  towns 
and  villages  filled  with  interesting  people,  its  boundless 
plains  beautiful  with  growing  grain  or  terrible  in  the 
desolation  of  famine,  its  life-giving  yet  often  destruc- 
tive rivers,  its  great  mountains,  its  hot  winds  and  floods 
of  rain,  its  fever  and  pestilence,  its  strange  combination 
of  ignorance  and  intelligence,  of  wealth  and  poverty,  of 
luxury  and  distress,  its  terrible  need  of  missionary  serv- 
ice, and  the  laborious  and  often  discouraging  character 
of  that  service — all  these  things  and  many  more  were 
clearly  visible  to  their  eyes,  now  once  more  turned 
toward  India.  And  this  was  not  all.  There  were  men 
and  women  and  little  children  over  there  in  Lucknow 
and  Bareilly  and  Moradabad  with  whom  they  had  lived 
and  worked  and  who  were  quite  as  near  and  clear  as  any 
of  the  loved  ones  in  America.  And  there  were  scores 
of  natives  of  India,  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls, 
some  of  whom  had  been  faithful  and  beloved  fellow- 
workers  ;  some  of  whom  they  had  led  out  of  ignorance 
and  heathenism  into  a  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  whom 
they  loved  as  sons  and  daughters.  And  there  were 
definite  plans  of  work  to  be  accomplished;  plans 
and  hopes  and  ambitions  which  had  formed  in  their 
minds  and  hearts  as  the  vigor  of  restored  health  ener- 
gized them,  and  the  almost  abandoned  hope  of  living 
and  working  for  India  repossessed  them  and  filled 

their  hearts  with  joy  that  was  too  deep  and  too  sacred 

136 


GETTING  BACK  TO  INDIA 

for  utterance.  Verily  this  was  unlike  the  exodus  of 
1859!  and,  without  detracting  aught  from  the  merit 
of  the  first,  this  second  was  richer  in  promise  and 
well-founded  hope. 

Returned  missionaries  are  not  the  simple-minded, 
unworldly  folk  some  suppose  them  to  be.  Travel  and 
residence  in  foreign  lands  broaden  and  develop  the  in- 
telligence of  missionaries  quite  as  much  as  of  other 
men.  It  is  a  part  of  the  foreign  missionary's  business 
to  know  all  that  can  be  learned  of  the  strange  land  into 
which  he  has  come.  It  is  his  duty  as  well  as  his  pleas- 
ure to  know  all  that  can  be  known  of  the  people  for 
whose  sake  he  has  become  a  voluntary  exile.  He  must 
not  only  learn  their  language,  and  as  much  as  he  can  of 
the  conditions  under  which  they  live,  but  he  must  learn 
to  see  with  their  eyes  and  hear  with  their  ears ;  he  must 
get  into  sympathy  with  them ;  and  this  can  only  be  at- 
tained through  knowledge.  And  because  of  this  the 
missionary  becomes  observant,  attentive.  He  is  alert 
and  always  ready  to  learn.  Things  earthly  as  well  as 
things  spiritual  claim  his  careful  attention  and  study. 
He  learns  to  ponder  the  many  new  and  often  puzzling 
problems  which  confront  him ;  he  desires  to  understand 
each  new  and  strange  phenomenon,  because  all  things 
bear  some  relation  to  the  prosperity  and  destiny  of  the 
multitudes  which  are  about  him. 

Mr.  Parker's  letters  written  en  route  from  New 
York  to  Bombay  indicate  this  observant  habit  of  life. 
He  travels  with  his  eyes  open,  and  not  only  sees  but 
tries  to  comprehend  and  understand.  In  one  letter  he 
describes  the  Suez  Canal  and  takes  up  the  then  unset- 
tled question  whether  or  no  the  canal  would  ever  pay. 
He  considers  it  a  work  of  such  utility  that,  whether  it 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

pays  or  not,  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  keep  it  open. 
Another  letter,  written  after  calling  at  Malta,  reviews 
the  Pauline  and  medieval  history  of  the  island.  The 
miseries  incident  to  bad  weather  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay 
give  rise  to  the  suggestion  that  missionaries  should  al- 
ways be  sent  by  that  route,  since  the  memories  of  the 
passage  would  effectually  deter  them  from  planning  a 
return  home.  From  grave  to  gay  his  pen  wanders  on, 
always  leaving  the  impression  that  the  writer  is  a  living 
man  among  men,  glad  that  he  is  alive,  interested  in 
everything,  and  in  all  respects  ready  to  play  a  man's 
part  in  the  world.  Such  a  man  necessarily  makes  a 
more  practical  and  successful  missionary  than  the  mere 
ecclesiastic,  with  no  thought  for  anything  except  his 
creed  and  no  eye  for  anything  except  that  which  direct- 
ly and  confessedly  concerns  religion.  The  letters  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  Parker  during  his  second  journey  to  the 
East  show  intense  personal  interest  in  all  the  move- 
ments of  the  world's  life.  Thirty  years  later,  when 
making  his  sixth  and  last  journey  from  America  to  In- 
dia, he  showed  the  same  freshness  and  intensity  of 
spirit.  In  this  respect  he  never  grew  old.  He  enjoyed 
life  to  the  last ;  he  was  greatly  interested  in  everything 
men  were  doing  everywhere.  This,  added  to  his  in- 
stinct for  going  ahead  ^and  "taking  hold  of  things," 
kept  him  busy,  and  this  is  one  reason  why  he  accom- 
plished so  much  and  why  so  much  that  he  did  was  of 
abiding  practical  value. 

The  second  arrival  in  India  was  unlike  the  first  in 
every  respect.  In  1859  nineteen  days  were  spent  in 
getting  from  the  Sand  Heads  to  Lucknow.  In  1870 
they  reached  Lucknow  in  forty-eight  hours  after  land- 
ing at  Bombay. 

138 


GETTING  BACK  TO  INDIA 

And  the  difference  in  the  work  to  which  they  came 
and  their  own  personal  relation  to  that  work  was  very 
great.  The  India  Mission  had  changed  much  during 
the  years  which  lay  between  September,  1859,  and 
November,  1870.  Its  four  stations  had  become  eight- 
een, and  the  number  of  male  missionaries  was  now 
twenty.  There  were  now  five  native  members  of  Con- 
ference, thirty  local  preachers,  and  nearly  eight  hun- 
dred members  and  probationers.  The  Mission  admin- 
istration had  settled  down  and  was  running  smoothly 
according  to  the  established  procedure  of  Methodist 
ecclesiastical  law.  The  current  had  widened.  The 
missionaries  were  not  quite  so  much  like  the  mem- 
bers of  one  family.  The  personal  element  was  less 
prominent.  The  arrival  or  departure  of  a  mission- 
ary family  was  not  quite  such  an  important  event 
as  in  the  earlier  times.  Leaving  their  traveling 
companions — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Craven,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McMahon,  and  Mr.  Buck — at  Lucknow,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Parker  went  on  to  their  old  station,  Moradabad;  and 
the  people  who  nearly  three  years  before  had  sat  up 
until  midnight  to  bid  them  good-bye  now  came  out 
some  distance  along  the  road  to  welcome  them  on  their 
return.  The  arrival  at  Moradabad  is  described  by  Mr. 
Parker  in  a  letter  to  the  Messenger: 

From  Lucknow  we  passed  up  through  the  Mission  to 
our  old  station,  Moradabad,  where  we  worked  until 
Conference.  I  sometimes  told  the  children  in  America 
about  my  schools  and  scholars  at  Moradabad,  and  often 
remarked  that  I  expected  a  hearty  welcome  from  my 
boys  when  I  should  go  back  to  India.  I  was  not  disap- 
pointed in  this,  for  no  sooner  had  we  crossed  the  river, 
which  runs  near  the  city  but  full  two  miles  from  our 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

house,  than  we  began  to  meet  old  friends,  as  they  had 
heard  of  our  coming.  First  came  an  old  man  and  his 
son  who  had  walked  a  mile  and  a  half  to  meet  us.  The 
boy  was  the  one  that  frightened  me  once  by  falling 
under  my  horse's  feet  and  we  supposed  him  killed,  but 
as  he  was  not  harmed  at  all  the  old  heathen  man 
thought  a  peculiar  providence  attended  the  missionary, 
and  became  his  friend  and  gave  me  his  boy  to  educate 
as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough.  This  old  Hindu  and  his 
boy  were  the  first  to  welcome  us  back  to  Moradabad. 
Their  presents  of  sweetmeats  were  very  acceptable  after 
a  night's  ride  in  our  doolies.  As  soon  as  we  entered  the 
city  old  friends,  young  and  old,  greeted  us,  and  we  felt 
as  though  we  were  getting  home.  One  of  our  native 
preachers  was  also  out  watching,  and  running  by  the 
side  of  the  doolies  told  us  the  news  of  all  our  Christian 
friends  as  we  rode  along.  At  our  old  home  we  re- 
ceived the  welcome  that  missionaries  always  get  from 
missionaries.  For  a  number  of  days  we  did  little 
but  visit  our  schools  and  talk  with  those  who  came  to 
see  us.  All  our  experience  in  returning  to  this  former 
field  of  labor  was  gratifying,  because  it  proved  to  us 
that  the  missionaries'  way  is  open  to  the  hearts  of  this 
people. 

140 


WAITING  FOR  AN  APPOINTMENT 


CHAPTER  II. — WAITING  FOR  AN  APPOINTMENT 

THE  Parkers  reached  Moraclabad  about  the  middle 
of  November,  some  two  months  before  Conference. 
The  interval,  however,  was  rilled  with  service  for  which 
there  was  urgent  need  as  well  as  good  opportunity.  As 
Mr.  Parker  had  no  appointment  he  was  free  from  the 
business  cares  which  press  upon  a  man  who  is  in  charge 
of  a  circuit  or  district,  and  was  able  to  give  his  whole 
time  to  evangelistic  work  among  the  Christians  in  the 
villages  and  the  non-Christians  in  the  bazaars  of  the 
towns  and  at  the  melas.  Soon  after  reaching  Morad- 
abad  they  went  into  camp  at  Babukhera  among  the 
Sikhs,  the  same  class  of  people  as  those  with  whom  the 
colony  at  Wesleypore  had  been  opened.  Here  they  re- 
sumed the  service  of  ministering  to  the  sick,  for  at  this 
time  the  fever  prevailed  to  such  an  extent  that  in  some 
villages  scarcely  a  man,  woman,  or  child  remained  un- 
affected by  it.  The  rainy  season  crops,  which  are  cut  in 
October  and  November,  were  drying  up  in  the  fields  or 
destroyed  by  cattle  because  there  was  no  one  to  harvest 
the  crop  or  take  care  of  the  fields.  The  land  that  should 
have  been  prepared  and  sown  for  the  cold  weather  crop 
was  unfilled  because  the  farmers  were  all  sick  or  dead. 
Going  from  house  to  house,  administering  medicine, 
giving  directions  for  proper  care  of  the  sick,  and  talk- 
ing and  praying  with  the  sufferers,  they  recommenced 
their  missionary  work  and  renewed  the  experiences  of 
Wesleypore. 

Leaving  this  locality  they  went  on  to  Hussanpur. 

Here  a  local  preacher  was  stationed  and  the  Quarterly 

141 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Conference  was  about  to  be  held.  The  Conference 
brought  a  number  of  preachers  to  the  place  and  a  vigor- 
ous campaign  was  carried  on  for  a  week,  deepening  the 
impressions  already  made  by  the  preacher  living  there, 
and  strengthening  his  position  very  much  among  the 
people.  An  incident  recorded  by  Mr.  Parker  shows  in 
what  light  paid  employees  of  the  Mission  are  usually 
regarded  by  their  non-Christian  fellow-countrymen: 

One  evening,  after  Brother  Zahur-ul-Haqq  had 
preached  in  the  street  and  was  quietly  listening  to  the 
preacher  who  followed  him,  a  man  came  and  motioned 
to  Brother  Haqq,  wanting  to  speak  to  him  alone. 
Brother  H.  moved  to  one  side,  when  the  man  asked : 

"Are  you  really  a  Christian  ?" 

"O  yes,  I  am  a  Christian,"  replied  Brother  Haqq. 

"I  do  not  believe  it;  you  are  a  servant  hired  to  do 
this  work,  and  you  preach  for  these  white  Christians  to 
get  your  bread." 

"You  are  mistaken.  I  am  a  true  Christian,  and  tell 
what  I  know  and  experience." 

"I  cannot  believe  it,"  said  the  man. 

"Come  away  from  the  congregation,  to  where  we 
will  disturb  no  one,  and  I  will  explain  all,"  said  Brother 
Haqq. 

So  they  moved  away  to  a  quiet  place  where  he  ex- 
plained to  the  man  all  he  could  about  Christianity, 
especially  about  Christ  as  a  present  Saviour.  The  in- 
terview was  evidently  satisfactory  to  the  questioner, 
for  he  attended  all  the  preaching  services  that  followed, 
and  on  Sunday  evening  invited  us  to  preach  in  his 
house,  where  a  company  of  about  sixty  persons  gave 
courteous  attention  to  a  Christian  discourse. 

From  Hussanpur  the  Parkers  went  on  to  the  great 
Hindu  bathing  festival  at  Gurmukteshwar,  on  the 
Ganges,  and  for  several  days  preached  the  Gospel  to  the 

vast  multitude.     Then  came  the  Moradabad  District 

142 


Conference,  with  its  forty  native  preachers  and  teach- 
ers and  its  unique  opportunities  for  advancing  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  in  India.  Mr.  Parker's  leading  part  in 
the  formation  and  development  of  this  organization  has 
been  already  described.  Bishop  Thoburn  contributes 
the  following  interesting  historical  note  on  the  subject : 

It  began  as  a  District  Association,  and  I  am  not  sure 
whether  Brother  Mansell  or  Parker  first  organized  it. 
They  were  together  at  the  time,  and  I  think  Mr.  Man- 
sell  had  got  the  idea  from  organizations  which  were 
then  quite  common  in  the  Pittsburg  Conference,  but 
Mr.  Parker  gave  it  shape  and  made  it  a  possibility.  In 
1867  Parker,  Mansell,  and  I  were  in  Pauri  together, 
and  while  there  we  carefully  drew  up  the  constitution 
and  by-laws  of  the  association,  making  it  include  the 
Conference  members,  local  preachers,  and  exhorters  of 
the  district.  Year  by  year  this  little  body  developed 
and  acquired  moral  weight  until  1870,  when  Bishop 
Kingsley  gave  a  decision  in  open  Conference  which 
virtually  authorized  the  presiding  elders  to  make  ap- 
pointments of  all  preachers  and  exhorters  employed  by 
the  Missionary  Society.  This  made  the  District  Asso- 
ciation practically  a  District  Conference,  and  gave  it 
greater  weight  than  had  before  been  possible.  A  sketch 
of  this  organization  was  published  in  the  Pittsbiirg 
Advocate  and  taken  up  by  W.  H.  Kincaid,  who  at  that 
time  was  active  in  the  Local  Preachers'  Association  in 
America.  This  was  brought  before  the  Church  at 
home,  and  afterward  was  incorporated,  with  some 
changes,  into  the  Discipline  of  the  Church  when  the 
District  Conference  was  first  authorized. 

The  following  account  of  the  District  Associations' 
work,  written  by  Mr.  Parker  himself,  shows  why  he 
and  his  colleagues  valued  them  so  highly : 

It  is  often  said  that  in  heathen  lands  there  are  usually 
two  conversions :  one  of  the  head,  or  intellect,  from  a 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

belief  in  a  non-Christian  religion  to  a  belief  in  Chris- 
tianity, and  the  second  a  conversion  of  the  heart  to 
Christ.  Such  is  our  almost  universal  experience  among 
the  masses  of  the  people  of  this  country.  Men  often 
profess  Christianity,  and  take  upon  themselves  its  forms 
and  live  greatly  improved  lives,  yet  their  experience 
does  not  satisfy  one  who  has  tasted  the  good  word 
of  God.  But  when  God's  Spirit  is  poured  out  in  sea- 
sons of  refreshing  these  persons  are  led  to  see  wherein 
they  lack,  and  looking  unto  Jesus  are  saved  and  bap- 
tized of  the  Spirit.  The  first  seasons  of  such  special 
outpouring  of  God's  Spirit  upon  assemblies  were  at 
these  District  Conferences,  when  the  native  helpers 
were  baptized  anew  and  received  clear  witness  of  the 
power  of  Jesus  to  save  now,  and  when  many  others 
were  converted,  or,  as  they  express  it,  "received  the 
Spirit."  As  these  annual  meetings  have  been  from  the 
beginning  seasons  of  spiritual  power  the  brethren  have 
come  to  expect  great  blessings  every  year  when  they 
come  up  to  their  Jerusalem.  This  year  at  the  Bareilly 
District  meeting  and  at  the  Moradabad  meeting  souls 
were  converted  and  all  were  refreshed.  Over  twenty 
persons  professed  conversion  at  the  close  of  the  Morad- 
abad meeting.  We  are  working  hard  that  every  person 
who  declares  belief  in  our  religion  may  experience 
God's  love  in  his  heart. 

Unconverted  converts  are  the  despair  of  mission- 
aries and  the  great  paradox  of  missions.  In  countries 
where  men  have  much  to  lose  and  little  to  gain  by  pro- 
fessing Christianity  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  most 
converts  will  be  genuine  Christians.  Christian  people 
in  Christian  lands  generally  have  this  view  of  the  mat- 
ter, and  this  is  one  reason  of  their  failure  to  gauge  the 
true  value  of  a  correct  and  honestly  written  mission  re- 
port. People  persistently  read  into  the  missionary's 

words  a  meaning  he  did  not  intend  to  convey.     The 

144 


WAITING  FOR  AN  APPOINTMENT 

missionary  knows  that  few  converts  are  at  first  real 
Christians.  In  most  cases  their  apprehension  of  Chris- 
tian truth  is  too  incomplete  for  them  to  receive  Christ 
in  anything  approaching  the  fullness  of  spiritual  life. 
The  knowledge  of  sin  is  rudimentary,  and  consequently 
the  sense  of  need  is  small;  the  desire  for  holiness  is 
wanting,  and  the  convert  is  satisfied  with  an  intellectual 
acceptance  of  the  theory  of  salvation  by  Christ.  To  lift 
a  Christian  community  out  of  this  merely  preparatory 
state  and  lead  its  members  into  the  possession  of  spir- 
itual life  and  the  enjoyment  of  Christ's  personal  com- 
panionship is  a  problem  which  everywhere  confronts 
the  missionary ;  and  there  are  scores,  perhaps  hundreds, 
of  mission  stations  in  India  where  the  missionaries 
have  to  confess  that  they  have  not  yet  succeeded  in 
raising  their  converts  about  the  level  of  merely  formal 
Christianity. 

Edwin  \V.  Parker's  work  as  a  missionary  and  his 
right  to  be  considered  a  successful  evangelist  can  best 
be  judged  in  connection  with  this  question.  He  gath-- 
ered  the  people  together  in  the  District  Association  and 
then  led  them  into  the  experience  of  vital  personal 
Christianity.  In  this  way  he  exerted  an  abiding  influ- 
ence among  and  upon  the  missions  of  North  India, 
for  a  living  Christian  convert  means  more  for  the  con- 
quest of  India  by  Christ  than  a  fine  church  building  or 
any  other  merely  material  expression  of  organized 
Christianity. 

An  interesting  illustration  of  the  manner  in  which 
this  kind  of  work  was  moving  on  in  the  Moradabad  and 
Bareilly  Districts  is  found  in  the  following  note  written 
by  Mr.  Parker  at  the  close  of  the  Lucknow  Conference, 
in  January,  1871 : 

(10)  MS 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Our  native  preachers  are  getting  filled  with  the  Spirit 
and  clothed  with  power,  and  our  nominal  Christians  are 
getting  converted,  and  we  seem  to  be  getting  ready  for 
a  successful  siege.  We  go  back  to  our  old  station, 
Moradabad,  where  we  have  been  laboring  since  our  re- 
turn. It  was  very  gratifying  to  us  to  mark  how  the 
work  had  prospered  while  we  were  away.  Preachers 
were  baptized  of  the  Spirit,  sinners  were  converted,  and 
all  had  grown  in  grace.  One  case  especially  interested 
us.  A  young  man  who  had  been  reared  and  educated 
by  us  as  a  Christian  boy  was  rebellious  to  God,  a  source 
of  trouble  to  those  who  had  adopted  and  reared  him, 
and  a  hindrance  to  the  Church.  But  in  our  absence  he 
became  converted  powerfully,  and  we  came  back  to  find 
him  a  reliable,  prominent,  and  successful  preacher  of 
Jesus.  God  is  marching  on  in  India. 

146 


THE  MORADABAD  HIGH  SCHOOL 


CHAPTER  III. — THE  MORADABAD  HIGH  SCHOOL 

A  PAIR  of  happy  missionaries  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Parker  when  they  returned  from  the  Lucknow  Confer- 
ence of  January,  1871,  for  Mr.  Parker  was  appointed 
to  the  Amroha  Circuit  and  the  Moradabad  schools. 
This  double  appointment  was  every  way  to  his  liking ; 
he  understood  the  details  thoroughly.  Amroha  city, 
twenty  miles  west  of  Moradabad,  was  the  center  of 
work  among  the  Sikhs  whom  Mr.  Parker  first  met  in 
the  early  days  at  Bijnor.  They  had  been  his  companions 
in  tribulation  at  Wesleypore,  and  in  later  times  had  re- 
ceived his  care  when  he  was  presiding  elder  of  the 
Moradabad  District,  from  1864  to  1868.  The  Morad- 
abad schools  had  also  received  a  large  share  of  his  at- 
tention during  the  same  period.  Mr.  Parker's  health 
and  vigor  were  not  yet  fully  restored,  yet  there  was 
great  improvement  upon  the  fever-stricken  days  of 
1863-67,  and  he  took  up  the  work  with  enthusiasm  and 
hope. 

"Beating  the  air"  was  never  a  favorite  occupation 
with  Mr.  Parker,  although  there  are  few  missionaries 
who  can  say  they  have  never  done  it.  He  was  a  man 
who  generally  "brought  things  to  pass,"  and  he  suc- 
ceeded because  he  always  had  definite  ends  in  view. 
And  so  with  the  Moradabad  schools — he  made  it  his 
aim  to  secure  and  conserve  results  and  make  them  a 
definite  and  effective  part  of  the  work  of  evangelizing 
the  city.  As  he  studied  the  problem  he  became  im- 
pressed with  the  necessity  of  providing  a  home  for  the 
school.  And  so  there  grew  up  in  his  mind  a  plan  for  a 

14? 


central  building  on  the  main  street  of  the  city — a  build- 
ing which  would  be  both  schoolhouse  and  church — 
whose  doors  would  stand  open,  inviting  men  of  all 
creeds  when  passing  by  to  enter  where  the  Gospel  was 
preached  and  Christian  service  performed.  It  was  no 
easy  task  to  provide  funds,  secure  a  site,  and  prepare  a 
building,  and  not  until  July  4,  1875,  was  the  dream 
realized.  Then  the  completed  building  was  filled  with 
the  Christians  and  non-Christians  who  were  present  at 
the  opening  services  of  the  new  house.  As  this  build- 
ing, together  with  the  school  which  uses  it,  is  now 
called  "The  Bishop  Parker  Memorial  High  School," 
a  peculiar  interest  attaches  to  his  own  account  of  the 
way  in  which  the  site  was  secured : 

For  ten  years  we  had  been  praying  and  working  for 
a  house  in  this  city  where  our  work  could  be  with  the 
natives.  We  were  first  prevented  by  not  getting  land, 
then  by  not  getting  money.  Finally  we  received  prom- 
ise of  half  the  money  if  we  could  raise  the  other  half. 
This  seemed  like  an  impossibility.  In  a  non-Christian 
city,  where  no  Christian  worth  five  hundred  dollars 
lived  who  was  interested  in  our  work,  and  yet  the  half 
of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  to  raise.  We,  however,  ac- 
cepted the  proposal,  and  now  the  beautiful  church  and 
schoolhouse  is  nearly  completed.  With  the  land  it  is 
worth  quite  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  and  we  are  only 
five  hundred  dollars  in  debt.  It  is  in  the  best  possible 
position  for  our  work  and  seems  to  me  almost  a  miracle. 
We  had  offered  six  thousand  dollars  for  a  lot  just  large 
enough  for  our  building,  but  could  get  nothing.  When 
we  were  about  despairing  of  getting  into  the  main  part 
of  the  city  we  learned  that  the  city  government  had  a 
small  plot  of  land  for  sale.  The  magistrate  was  our 
friend,  and  urged  the  municipality  to  give  us  the  land 
as  our  schools  had  been  a  benefit  to  the  city.  But  the 

148 


Moradabad  School  Hall 


THE  MORADABAD  HIGH  SCHOOL 

lawyers  said,  "The  city  cannot  give  it."  So  they  leased 
the  land  to  us,  free  from  tax  forever,  for  fifty  cents  a 
year.  This  gave  us  a  nucleus,  but  not  enough  for  our 
house.  Soon,  however,  we  learned  that  a  mortgage 
had  been  foreclosed  on  land  situated  on  three  sides  of 
our  lot  and  that  it  would  soon  be  sold  by  auction.  A 
Hindu  friend  bid  it  off  for  us,  and  thus  we  had  room 
for  our  building.  Afterward  we  were  able  to  get 
enough  more  to  give  us  a  nice  yard.  Thus  for  three 
thousand  dollars  we  have  three  times  as  much  land,  and 
in  a  better  location  than  that  for  which  we  had  offered 
six  thousand  dollars. 

As  an  interesting  item  of  mission  history  it  is  worth 
recording  here  that  the  first  cablegram  to  India  from 
the  Mission  Rooms  in  New  York  was  sent  in  connec- 
tion with  the  mission  grant  to  this  building.  There 
was  need  of  haste,  as  the  lieutenant-governor  and  the 
director  of  public  instruction,  who  were  ready  to  make 
a  building  grant  under  the  usual  conditions,  were  both 
retiring  from  government  service,  and  it  was  necessary 
to  have  the  promise  of  aid  from  home  before  accepting 
the  government  grant  in  aid.  And  an  item  of  melan- 
choly interest  is  the  fact  that  twenty-six  years  and  six 
months  after  it  was  completed  the  same  building  was 
crowded  with  missionaries,  native  ministers,  and  other 
natives,  Christian  and  non-Christian,  who  had  come  to 
take  part  in  the  memorial  service  for  Bishop  Parker, 
under  the  direction  of  the  North  India  Conference, 
then  in  session. 

This  house,  so  long,  prayed  for,  was  not  allowed  to 
remain  unused.  How  it  was  used,  and  what  Mr.  Par- 
ker thought  of  its  value  to  mission  work  in  Moradabad, 
may  be  learned  from  a  letter  written  by  him  more  than 

a  year  after  it  was  completed.     The  Moradabad  plan 

149 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

was  so  successful  that  arrangements  were  made  for 
building  similar  houses  in  Bareilly  and  in  Shahjahan- 
pur,  and  Mr.  Parker's  letter  was  an  appeal  to  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  for  aid  in  completing  the  chapel  in  the 
city  of  Shahjahanpur : 

Our  expectations  concerning  the  help  we  would  re- 
ceive from  the  chapel  in  .Moradabad  have  been  more 
than  realized.  In  the  first  place  the  people  see  that  we 
are  here  not  as  foreigners,  for  a  day,  but  that  we  have 
really  come  to  stay,  and  in  the  schoolhouse  with  its 
clock  and  bell  they  see  that  we  desire  the  good  of  the 
city.  They  see  all  this  as  they  never  saw  it  before. 
Then  the  work  is  much  more  satisfactory  since  we 
opened  our  chapel  hall.  Formerly  no  outsiders  attended 
our  Sunday  services.  We  had  Sunday  schools  for 
the  non-Christian  children,  we  preached  in  the  noisy 
market  places,  but  our  regular  Sunday  school  and 
preaching  services  were  attended  only  by  Christians. 
An  account  of  last  Sunday's  work  will  show  you  how 
different  it  is  now : 

At  7  A.  M.  we  went  to  our  large  public  Sunday 
school  in  the  chapel  hall  of  the  new  house.  It  was  a 
rainy  morning  and  people  were  a  little  late,  yet  by  seven 
minutes  after  seven  the  hall  was  well  filled.  On  one 
side  were  boys — Hindus,  of  all  castes,  Mohammedans, 
and  Christians — sitting  together  as  though  of  the  same 
caste.  There  were  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
of  these  boys.  On  the  other  side,  in  front,  were  the 
girls,  mostly  Christians.  Behind  the  girls  were  the 
Christian  women,  and  behind  them  the  men  of  all  castes 
and  religions.  We  commenced  by  singing  a  hymn  full 
of  Christ,  aided  by  the  organ — played  by  Miss  Lore — 
and  led  especially  by  the  Christian  girls  and  women. 
Prayer  followed,  closing  with  the  Lord's  Prayer  in 
unison.  Review  questions  of  the  last  week's  lesson 
were  then  asked,  and  answered  with  great  animation 
by  all  the  children.  Then  followed  the  reading  of  the 

150 


THE  MORADABAD  HIGH  SCHOOL 

lesson  for  the  day,  responsively,  with  introductory 
questions;  after  which  all  were  sent  to  their  classes. 
The  eight  class  rooms  are  all  occupied  and  the  hall  is 
left  for  the  women  and  girls,  of  whom  there  are  eight 
large  classes.  One  class  room  is  occupied  by  the  boys 
from  a  low  caste  school,  who  are  always  present.  Two 
of  the  rooms  facing  the  street  are  for  men  and  out- 
siders who  drop  in.  Another  class  of  educated  teach- 
ers, etc.,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  non-Christians,  is 
taught  in  English. 

After  the  lesson  all  were  called  together  and  the  les- 
son reviewed,  all  answering.  We  closed  with  singing 
and  prayer ;  the  house  being  crowded,  the  aisle  near  the 
door  filled  with  persons  standing  who  had  come  in  from 
the  street.  In  our  questions  we  catechize  exactly  as 
though  all  were  Christians.  Our  lesson  last  Sunday 
was,  "Proof  of  the  power  of  Jesus's  name,  and  of  all 
families  being  blessed  through  his  name."  And  the 
Golden  Text  was  given,  "There  is  none  other  name," 
etc.  We  enter  into  no  controversy  with  other  religions, 
but  teach  the  Gospel  as  though  it  were  the  only  way 
and  beyond  all  controversy.  The  children  drink  it  in 
as  naturally  as  a  thirsty  man  drinks  pure  water.  I 
never  turn  from  that  school  without  thanking  God  for 
that  building,  so  well  adapted  for  such  work. 

At  6  o'clock  we  met  again  for  our  public  preaching 
service.  At  the  time  fixed  the  hall  was  about  half  filled, 
but  by  the  time  the  sermon  commenced  there  were  no 
empty  benches,  and  very  few  empty  seats  in  the  house. 
More  than  half,  perhaps  quite  two  thirds,  of  the  audi- 
ence were  outsiders.  During  preaching  a  few  went  out 
and  more  came  in,  but  nearly  all  listened  quietly  until 
the  sermon  was  over,  and  until  they  had  seen  a  young 
convert  baptized.  This  congregation  of  listening  out- 
siders has  steadily  increased  since  the  day  we  opened 
the  hall,  one  year  ago. 

Almost  immediately  after  this  Hindustani  preaching 
service  a  lecture  service  in  English  was  held.  We  com- 
menced by  singing  and  prayer,  and  then  a  lecture  was 

151 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

given  on  "Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  Christ,  and  his  de- 
mands upon  us."  About  a  dozen  Europeans  and 
Eurasians  were  present  and  about  seventy-five  English- 
speaking  natives.  Not  more  than  five  or  six  of  these 
natives  were  Christians.  After  the  lecture  we  gave  op- 
portunity for  remarks,  and  a  Mohammedan  spoke,  ob- 
jecting, of  course,  to  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  divinity. 
We  have  these  lectures  every  Sunday  evening,  but  usu- 
ally our  audience  is  not  so  large  as  it  was  this  evening. 
In  these  lectures  we  have  discussed  Revelation,  Mira- 
cles, Accounts  of  Creation,  Truth,  etc.,  in  all  of  which 
our  gain  has  been  steady  and  encouraging.  The  best 
spirit  has  prevailed  in  each  discussion. 

Now,  is  it  possible  to  estimate,  after  this  account  of 
our  Sunday's  work,  the  worth  of  this  building,  which 
enables  us  to  gain  the  young  people  and  draw  all  classes 
under  our  influence?  Is  not  every  dollar  expended 
here  worth  twice  as  much  to  the  cause  of  God  as  it  was 
when  we  had  no  place  in  which  to  gather  these  people 
together?  We  still  continue  bazaar  preaching,  but  at 
the  close  of  every  such  service  we  tell  the  people  of  our 
hall  service,  and  invite  all  to  come.  Then,  if  an  im- 
pression is  made  in  the  bazaar,  we  can  increase  it  in  the 
hall. 

Some  of  the  Christian  girls  referred  to  in  Mr.  Par- 
ker's letter  were  from  Christian  families  living  in  the 
city,  but  most  of  them  were  from  Mrs.  Parker's  board- 
ing school  in  the  Mission  compound,  about  one  mile 
from  the  city  chapel.  The  way  to  the  chapel  leads 
through  the  main  street  of  the  city,  and  the  girls  from 
the  boarding  school  march  in  procession  through  this 
bazaar  four  times  each  Sunday  of  the  year,  and  twice 
on  Wednesday.  A  stronger  proof  of  Mr.  Parker's 
great  personal  influence  in  the  city  could  not  well  be 
given  than  the  fact  that  this  large  company  of  well- 
dressed  Christian  girls  and  young  women  walks  un- 

152 


THE  MORADABAD  HIGH  SCHOOL 

molested  through  this  bazaar  six  times  a  week.  The 
custom  is  now  established,  and  there  is  no  trouble,  but 
to  those  who  know  what  Eastern  cities  are,  and  the  cus- 
toms concerning  women,  it  seems  almost  incredible  that 
such  a  thing  was  ever  introduced.  But  the  people  of 
Moradabad  knew  and  respected  Mr.  Parker,  and  they 
also  knew  that  he  had  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the 
English  and  native  officials  and  also  of  the  leading  na- 
tives in  the  city.  And  so  when  he  marched  the  girls 
through  the  bazaar  the  people  said,  "It  is  Parker 
Sahib,"  and  that  settled  the  matter. 

The  Anglo-vernacular  school  which  found  a  home  in 
this  new  building  had  been  for  years  Mr.  Parker's 
special  care,  and  to  it  had  been  given  many  days  of  his 
busy  life.  Often  for  months  together  he  taught  full 
hours  in  the  school,  taking  Saturday  and  Sunday  for 
attending  to  work  away  from  Moradabad.  Ten  years 
after  its  completion  the  building  was  enlarged  by  the 
addition  of  wings  which  almost  doubled  the  seating 
capacity  of  the  chapel  hall.  While  John  F.  Goucher, 
of  Baltimore,  made  Moradabad  the  center  of  the  sys- 
tem of  village  schools  which  he  supported  for  nineteen 
years,  and  furnished  a  large  number  of  scholarships  for 
boys  in  the  boarding  school  at  Moradabad,  this  institu- 
tion was  known  as  the  Goucher  High  School.  A  large 
number  of  Christian  young  men  passed  from  this  school 
into  the  theological  seminary  and  from  there  into  the 
ministry.  Others  have  gone  through  the  Reid  College 
and  occupy  important  places  in  business  and  profes- 
sional life.  When,  in  1892,  Mr.  Parker  was  removed 
from  Moradabad  to  Lucknow  he  kept  up  his  personal 
interest  in  the  educational  work  at  Moradabad. 
Through  his  influence,  and  at  his  earnest  request,  Dr. 

153 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Goucher  continued  his  munificent  support  of  this  work 
several  years  longer  than  he  had  at  first  engaged  to  do. 
In  1901  this  help  was  withdrawn,  the  year  of  Bishop 
Parker's  death.  But  as  the  income  from  the  Bishop 
Parker  Memorial  Fund  is  to  be  divided  between  the 
Reid  Christian  College,  Lucknow,  and  the  Moradabad 
High  School  the  institution  will  be  placed  on  a  basis  of 
permanent  usefulness,  and  will  remain  a  monument, 
"more  enduring  than  brass,"  to  the  memory  of  one 
who,  departing,  left  behind  him  "footprints  on  the 

sands  of  time." 

154 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 


CHAPTER  IV. — THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

AT  the  Moradabad  Conference  of  1872  Mr.  Parker 
was  appointed  presiding  elder  of  the  Moradabad  Dis- 
trict, retaining  charge  of  the  Moradabad  schools.  At 
the  Conference  of  1873  *ne  districts  were  rearranged. 
The  work  in  the  mountains  became  a  separate  district ; 
the  Bareilly  and  Moradabad  Districts  became  the 
Rohilkhand  District,  with  Edwin  W.  Parker  as  presid- 
ing elder,  his  residence  continuing  at  Moradabad.  He 
held  this  post  five  years  consecutively.  Then,  at  the 
Bareilly  Conference  of  1878,  he  was  at  his  own  earnest 
request  relieved  of  charge  of  this  large  district,  and 
Edward  Cunningham  was  presiding  elder  of  Rohil- 
khand in  1878,  1879.  In  1880  Mr.  Parker  again  took 
charge  of  the  district,  and  held  the  appointment  until 
his  furlough  to  America  in  January,  1883.  As  superin- 
tendent of  the  Rohilkhand  District  he  had  charge  of 
territory  which  held  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  Chris- 
tians in  the  Conference,  and  his  position  was  one  of 
great  influence  and  opportunity. 

This  old  Rohilkhand  District  is  now  divided  into  five 
presiding  elders'  districts,  having  an  aggregate  of  sixty 
circuits.  In  1873  there  were  only  ten  circuits,  but 
geographically  the  ten  circuits  were  as  large  as  the 
sixty  and  the  presiding  elder's  work  was  very  heavy. 
It  is  impossible  to  give  here  a  detailed  account  of  the 
work  of  those  nine  years.  The  number  of  Christians 
was  rapidly  increasing,  and  new  and  important  inter- 
ests were  growing  up,  bringing  with  them  new  prob- 
lems, new  difficulties,  new  opportunities,  and  new  re- 
sponsibilities to  the  men  in  charge  of  them.  There  was 

i55 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

the  rapidly  growing  theological  seminary  at  Bareilly; 
and  a  large  part  of  the  work  of  selecting  students  for 
the  institution  and  assigning  fields  of  labor  to  the  grad- 
uates naturally  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  man  who  was 
president  of  nearly  all  the  Quarterly  Conferences  which 
recommended  these  men  for  admission  into  the  sem- 
inary and  who  was  presiding  elder  of  the  district  in 
which  the  majority  of  them  found  work.  His  peculiar 
relation  to  the  growing  work  during  the  period  under 
review  made  it  possible  for  Dr.  Parker  to  affirm,  as  he 
did  in  the  General  Conference  of  1884,  that  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
preachers  and  exhorters  within  the  bounds  of  his  Con- 
ference had  his  name  upon  their  licenses.  And  as  the 
North  India  Conference  gradually  filled  up  with  native 
ministers  chosen  from  among  these  men,  until  at  last 
they  numbered  nearly  three  fourths  of  its  membership, 
it  is  easy  to  understand  how  it  came  to  pass  that  Dr. 
Parker  attained  to  controlling  power  in  the  Conference, 
and  during  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  had  virtu- 
ally at  his  command  a  majority  of  its  votes  on  any 
question  to  which  he  gave  his  support.  Few  Methodist 
preachers  have  enjoyed  such  an  opportunity  for  wield- 
ing power  in  the  Annual  Conference,  and  it  is  quite 
within  bounds  to  affirm  that  during  all  these  years  this 
unique  power  was  exercised  without  the  taint  of  self- 
ishness or  personal  ambition,  with  a  sincere  and  su- 
preme desire  for  the  public  good,  and  for  the  most  part 
also  with  such  wisdom  and  moderation  that  candid, 
intelligent  men  rejoiced  that  the  interests  of  the  Church 
were  in  the  hands  of  such  a  safe  and  efficient  leader. 
There  was  Panahpur,  the  Christian  industrial  village 

near  Shahjahanpur,  an  estate  of  nearly  nine  hundred 

156 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

acres  of  jungle  land,  purchased  in  1869  and  colonized 
somewhat  after  the  Wesleypore  manner,  by  native 
Christians,  with  the  hope  that  an  industrious,  self-sup- 
porting native  Christian  community  would  there  take 
root  and  be  a  center  of  Christian  light  and  influence. 
The  place  was  named  Panahpur,  "the  city  of  refuge;'' 
unfortunately  it  became  a  cave  of  Adullam  rather  than 
a  city  set  on  a  hill.  For  nearly  thirty  years  it  was  a 
thorn  in  the  side  of  those  who  had  charge  of  it ;  a  con- 
stant disappointment ;  an  emphatic  reminder  of  the  evils 
attending  foreign  intermeddling  with  the  economic  life 
of  the  people,  and  one  among  the  many  unsuccessful 
attempts  which  missionaries  in  India  have  made  to  fill 
the  place  of  a  special  providence  to  native  Christians. 
As  long  as  the  land  remained  the  property  of  the  Mis- 
sion so  long  did  the  tenants  refuse  to  believe  that  they 
ought  to  pay  fair  rent  for  their  farms.  At  last  the  vil- 
lage was  sold  to  a  business  man,  a  friend  of  missions 
and  of  native  Christians.  When  the  people  found  that 
the  Mission  was  no  longer  landlord  they  ceased  their 
efforts  to  hold  their  farms  free  of  rent,  and  began  to 
pay  their  way.  While  Panahpur  was  a  sore  trial  to  the 
missionaries  and  a  heavy  charge  upon  the  finances  of 
the  Mission,  it  was  a  particularly  heavy  burden  to  the 
presiding  elder.  His  patience  was  often  completely 
exhausted  by  the  perverse  conduct  of  these  people,  who 
fancied  that  Panahpur  had  been  purchased  that  they 
might  be  fed  and  clothed  and  have  their  children  edu- 
cated without  expense  or  trouble  to  themselves. 

Early  in  his  second  term  of  service  Mr.  Parker,  Mr. 
Mansell,  and  others  made  another  attempt  to  aid  the 
native  Christians  of  the  Sikh  villages  near  Moradubnd. 

A  joint  stock  company  was  formed  and  money  loaned 

157 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

at  moderate  interest  to  enable  Christian  farmers  and 
artisans  to  get  a  start  in  life.  But  this,  too,  ended  un- 
fortunately. Crops  failed,  cattle  died,  men  who  had 
taken  loans  were  indolent,  or  improvident,  or  dishonest, 
and  the  scheme  came  to  naught ;  the  leaders  in  the  en- 
terprise lost  their  money,  getting  in  return  the  sad  ex- 
perience of  failure  in  a  self-sacrificing  attempt  to  give 
indigenous  Christianity  a  better  foothold  in  India. 

If  it  is  asked  why  an  experienced,  practical  man  like 
Mr.  Parker  allowed  himself  to  become  involved  in  these 
enterprises,  the  answer  is  easily  given.  It  is  very  hard 
for  a  kind-hearted  missionary  to  see  Christian  converts 
lose  their  livelihood  because  they  have  become  Chris- 
tians, to  see  a  village  farmer  or  laborer  driven  from  his 
fields  because  he  is  a  Christian,  and  not  obey  the  almost 
irresistible  impulse  to  help  the  men.  It  seems  a  simple 
and  practicable  plan  for  the  missionaries  to  get  posses- 
sion of  a  tract  of  land  and  settle  it  with  Christian  tenant 
farmers.  But  the  almost  universal  experience  goes  to 
show  that  it  is  better  to  leave  the  converts  to  fight  their 
own  battles ;  that  in  a  country  like  India  it  is  not  wise 
to  meddle  with  the  temporal  affairs  of  the  people.  It 
is  particularly  difficult  for  the  missionary  to  stand  aloof 
from  the  temporal  relations  of  his  charges  when  the 
social  conditions  are  so  dominated  by  idolatrous  cus- 
toms as  to  be  antagonistic  to  Christian  morality.  The 
marriage  customs  of  the  people  of  India  are  largely  of 
this  character,  and  the  presiding  elder  of  Rohilkhand 
was  never  free  from  perplexities  and  anxieties  con- 
nected with  the  innumerable  marriage  disputes  and  en- 
tanglements in  which  all  classes  of  native  Christians 
were  perpetually  involved.  He  traveled  thousands  of 

miles,  wrote  thousands  of  letters,  and  spent  thousands 

158 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

of  trying  and  difficult  and  often  despairing  hours  in 
dealing  with  marriage  questions  among  Christians  on 
his  district.  This  story — illustrative  of  the  point — is 
found  in  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Parker  in  1876  and  is 
part  of  his  account  of  a  Quarterly  Conference : 

r 

Before  we  reached  our  camp  we  learned  that  there 
was  great  dissatisfaction  throughout  the  circuit  and 
that  a  large  representation  of  the  people  would  be  pres- 
ent. We  at  once  inferred  that  some  phase  of  the  mar- 
riage complication  had  caused  the  trouble,  and  knew 
that  the  great  hill  of  difficulty,  the  marriage  of  children, 
was  to  be  traveled  over  again.  Parents  for  ages  past 
have  all  married  their  children  in  childhood,  so  that  it  is 
considered  a  great  disgrace  for  children  to  grow  up  un- 
married. Christians  are  not  allowed  to  marry  in  this 
way,  and  the  law  makes  such  marriages  illegal.  Still 
some  parents  in  the  villages,  even  when  they  know  they 
will  be  expelled  from  the  church,  have  their  children 
married  according  to  the  old  customs  by  a  heathen 
priest. 

At  the  time  of  this  Quarterly  Conference,  however, 
the  question  presented  a  new  phase  which  caused  great 
excitement.  A  Christian  several  years  ago  married  his 
daughter  to  a  heathen  lad,  taking  the  usual  gift  or  price 
of  the  girl  from  the  boy's  father.  The  Christian  was 
separated  from  the  Church  and  little  more  was  thought 
of  the  matter.  The  girl  afterward  came  to  our  board- 
ing school  and  was  educated,  becoming  an  intelligent, 
sensible  girl.  Hence,  when  old  enough  to  be  claimed 
by  the  heathen  husband,  she  declined  the  call  and  mar- 
ried a  worthy  Christian  young  man.  Another  girl  had 
also  signified  her  intention  of  selecting  for  herself 
rather  than  accepting  an  illegal  marriage  made  in  her 
childhood  by  her  father  for  the  sake  of  her  price  in 
money.  Her  marriage  had  been  announced  to  take 
place  at  this  quarterly  meeting.  These  marriages 
divided  the  people  into  two  hostile  parties. 

159- 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

As  soon  as  we  arrived  in  camp  we  found  that  a  good 
number  were  already  present,  and  early  on  Saturday 
morning  many  more  came,  and  from  early  morning  to 
late  at  evening  the  marriage  question  was  the  sole  topic 
of  discussion.  The  preachers  and  many  of  the  laymen 
were  firm,  and  decided  that  they  would  in  no  way  rec- 
ognize child  marriage;  yet  they  were  sad,  as  many  of 
the  Christians,  among  whom  were  some  of  our  most 
promising  new  accessions,  were  on  the  opposite  side 
and  it  was  feared  that  very  many  would  turn  back  to 
their  old  faith.  The  heathen  men  who  had  bought  the 
girls  were  there,  determined  to  carry  the  matter  to 
court  and  warning  the  native  pastor  not  to  marry  the 
girl.  We,  however,  replied,  "We  will  marry  the  girl 
and  stand  the  suit." 

"But,"  said  the  men,  "we  have  paid  our  money  for 
the  girls,  and  they  are  ours."  We  replied,  "We  are 
sorry  you  wasted  your  money  on  Christian  girls,  but 
they  are  free,  notwithstanding,  and  they  are  not  yours 
in  any  way."  Thus  hour  after  hour  the  discussion 
went  on.  Every  argument  possible  was  used  to  show 
how  much  better  the  Christian  marriage  was  for  them 
all,  and  to  persuade  all  to  give  up  their  old  customs. 
Some  were  persuaded,  but  others  desired  and  deter- 
mined to  marry  their  children  in  some  way,  and  at 
evening  the  leaders  of  this  party  drew  away  all  they 
could  and  formed  a  party  in  favor  of  marriage  of 
Christian  children.  This  discussion  is  still  going  on. 
Many  of  the  opposing  party  have  since  then  married 
their  little  children,  and  our  little  classes  scattered 
through  the  villages  are  sadly  broken  and  divided. 

This  heart-breaking  dispute  was  poor  preparation 
for  quarterly  meeting  Sunday,  and  hardly  measures 
up  to  the  popular  conception  of  Christian  converts  or 
the  duties  of  a  missionary  presiding  elder.  But  a  large 
portion  of  Mr.  Parker's  time  and  thought  was  neces- 
sarily occupied  with  such  perplexities.  It  is  a  sore  trial 

160 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

of  a  missionary's  courage,  patience,  and  zeal  to  lose  the 
promising  fruits  of  years  of  prayerful  evangelistic  serv- 
ice through  the  persistence  of  some  idolatrous  or  super- 
stitious practice.  The  power  of  anti-Christian  social 
custom  comes  as  a  revelation  to  the  missionary.  If  he 
is  a  weak  man  he  is  discouraged,  and  retires  from  the 
contest.  If  he  is  a  strong-willed,  self-centered,  im- 
patient man  he  rides  roughshod  over  the  reprehensible 
customs  and  destroys  the  work.  If  he  is  strong  and 
firm  and  patient,  is  wholly  given  to  the  service  of  Christ 
and  really  loves  these  weak,  ignorant,  semievangelized 
Christians,  he  will  neither  abandon  effort  nor  deal  vio- 
lently or  hastily  with  the  obstinate  reactionaries,  but 
will  continue  to  follow  them  with  prayers  and  counsel 
and  warning  until  at  last  he  achieves  the  desired  result. 
That  for  forty  years  Bishop  Parker  lived  in  the  midst 
of  such  experiences  as  those  described  in  his  letter,  yet 
year  by  year  loved  the  people  more,  had  greater  hope 
in  their  improvement,  made  broader  and  more  enthusi- 
astic plans  for  their  advancement,  and  with  increasing 
zeal  wrought  for  their  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare, 
shows  him  to  have  possessed  the  true  missionary  spirit. 
The  "water  question"  was  another  of  those  mixed 
affairs  which  at  times  occupied  the  attention  of  the 
Rohilkhand  presiding  elder.  It  was  not  so  universal  as 
the  marriage  question,  and  being  a  difficulty  between 
Christians  and  non-Christians  it  did  not  disturb  the 
harmony  of  the  Church,  yet  it  often  brought  the  Chris- 
tians into  sore  trial  and  affliction. 

The  water  question  in  India  is  a  great  mystery.  It 
is  as  illogical  and  incomprehensible  as  Hindu  philoso- 
phy, and  its  application  is  as  elastic  as  the  Hindu 
conscience.  It  is  a  convenient  agency  for  use  in  perse- 

(11)  161 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

cuting  Christians,  and  when  the  mild  Hindu  has  oppor- 
tunity he  works  the  system  for  all  it  is  worth.  Run- 
ning water  is  free,  and  cannot  suffer  religious  pollution. 
A  Brahman  may  drink  of  a  stream  in  which  a  corpse  is 
floating  near  by  or  a  low  caste  man  bathing.  A  well  is 
different.  The  Hindu  would  allow  no  one  to  draw 
water  from  the  well  except  Hindus  of  proper  caste. 
But  throughout  the  Moghul  Empire  the  Mohamme- 
dans taught  the  Hindus  toleration  at  the  point  of  the 
sword,  and  now,  wherever  there  are  Mohammedans, 
they  and  the  Hindus  use  the  water  and  the  Hindus  are 
not  defiled.  But  when  Christians  sought  to  use  the 
wells  the  Hindus  objected,  and  the  Hinduized  Moham- 
medans, glad  of  an  opportunity  for  persecuting  Chris- 
tians, joined  with  the  Hindus.  Water  is  a  necessity  of 
life  everywhere,  especially  in  a  warm  country  like  In- 
dia, and  to  close  the  wells  against  the  Christians  is  very 
cruel.  They  must  either  use  the  stagnant  water  of  the 
'  village  horse  ponds  or  pay  some  one  to  draw  water  for 
them.  To  poor  villagers  the  cost  is  prohibitive,  and 
those  who  can  pay  are  at  the  mercy  of  Hindu  or  Mo- 
hammedan water  carriers  who  sometimes  refuse  to 
serve  Christians  at  any  price. 

It  seems  incredible  that  such  oppression  is  possible 
in  British  territory.  But  the  administration  of  law  in 
rural  districts  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  native  officials, 
and  the  law  regulating  the  use  of  wells  by  Christians 
practically  depends  upon  the  will  of  the  local  authority. 
In  one  of  Mr.  Parker's  letters  is  an  interesting  account 
of  the  way  in  which  one  of  these  water  disputes  was 
settled. 

He  had  gone  up  the  main  line  of  the  railway  from 

Bareilly  to  Aligarh  to  preach  to  a  company  of  Euro- 

162 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

peans  on  the  canal  works  in  the  direction  of  Aligarh. 
The  junction  alluded  to  is  Chandauri,  some  thirty  miles 
from  Moradabad,  and  Mrs.  Parker  came  this  distance 
to  enable  her  husband  to  go  on  without  delay  to  the 
spot  where  his  presence  was  so  urgently  required.  This 
furnishes  also  an  illustration  of  the  way  this  wise  and 
thoughtful  woman  aided  her  husband  in  his  work.  And 
now  Mr.  Parker  shall  tell  his  own  story : 

Monday  afternoon  I  got  half  way  home  when  at  the 
junction  I  met  Mrs.  Parker,  having  come  down  to  tell 
me  that  a  telegram  had  come  saying  there  was  trouble 
at  one  of  the  village  appointments  and  urging  me  to  go 
there  at  once.  So  I  took  the  train  going  down  country 
and  stopped  off  in  the  middle  of  the  night  at  a  way  sta- 
tion one  hundred  miles  from  home.  Here  I  found  a 
little  pony,  just  large  enough  to  keep  my  feet  from  the 
ground,  waiting  for  me,  and  the  native  preacher  ready 
to  accompany  me  six  miles  back  into  the  country.  The 
country,  however,  was  covered  with  water,  and  in  many 
places  it  was  over  the  road.  We  moved  on  at  a  slow 
walk  and  did  not  mind  the  water,  as  it  was  not  very 
deep,  until  we  came  to.what  seemed  to  us  to  be  a  large 
lake.  A  villager  said  it  was  only  a  river  which  had 
broken  away  from  its  course  and  overflowed  the  coun- 
try, and  that  he  would  take  us  around  through  the  fields 
where  it  would  not  be  over  our  shoulders.  He  went 
forward  and  showed  us  the  depth,  which  I  saw  was 
over  my  pony's  back.  Hence  I  got  down,  took  off  my 
clothes,  adopting  the  warm-weather  fashion  of  vil- 
lagers here,  and  waded  through  the  lake  at  least  one 
third  of  a  mile.  Coming  to  dry  land  I  resumed  my 
usual  dress  and  we  moved  on. 

The  trouble  that  called  me  to  this  place  was  the  usual 
water  difficulty.  A  few  persons  had  Income  Christians, 
and  had  been  beaten  and  turned  out  of  their  houses  and 
refused  water  from  the  public  wells.  The  native 
preacher  had  tried  to  reason  with  the  villagers,  but  they 

163 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

came  out  with  their  large  clubs  and  threatened  to  kill 
him  if  he  did  not  keep  well  at  home.  Some  of  the  lead- 
ing natives  were  on  our  side  simply  because  they  were 
not  on  good  terms  with  our  persecutors.  This  kind  of 
friendship  did  not  help  us  much  except  that  it  gave  a 
sort  of  protection  to  our  people,  and  it  made  our  op- 
posers  more  ferocious  when  they  saw  their  own  ene- 
mies adopting  our  cause.  The  real  difficulty  was  about 
the  water.  The  Hindus  and  Mohammedans  were  de- 
termined that  Christians  should  not  draw  water  from 
the  village  wells.  Even  those  who  befriended  us,  and 
sent  men  to  protect  the  preacher's  house,  were  not  will- 
ing to  have  the  Christians  draw  from  their  wells,  but 
were  very  willing  to  have  them  draw  from  their  ene- 
mies' wells  which  were  near  the  Christians'  houses.  I 
saw  that  I  could  do  nothing  alone,  hence  I  sent  a  letter 
to  the  native  magistrate,  who  had  already  been  ordered 
by  the  European  magistrate  to  settle  the  difficulty,  but 
who  had  not  dared  to  venture  through  the  water,  ask- 
ing him  to  come  as  soon  as  possible  and  aid  us.  Hence, 
getting  on  an  elephant,  he  rode  over  to  investigate  mat- 
ters. 

He  heard  the  excuses  of  the  Hindus,  who  claimed 
that  their  caste  would  be  broken  if  they  drank  water 
from  a  well  with  people  of  another  religion.  "Why, 
then,  do  you  allow  Mohammedans  to  draw  from  your 
wells?"  was  the  reply.  "If  Mohammedans  draw,  why 
not  Christians ?  If  two  religions,  why  not  three?"  To 
these  questions  the  Hindus  had  no  reply,  and  hence  they 
said:  "If  these  leading  men  in  the  village,  who  claim 
to  be  so  friendly  to  the  Christians,  will  allow  one  bucket 
of  water  drawn  from  each  of  their  wells,  then  we  will 
let  them  draw  freely.  But  if  only  our  wells  are  touched 
by  the  Christians  these  others  will  persecute  us,  as  de- 
filed from  contact  with  Christians."  Our  friends,  not 
anticipating  this  turn,  had  already  told  the  native  mag- 
istrate they  were  anxious  that  Christians  have  their 
rights.  The  magistrate,  seeing  a  way  out  of  the  diffi- 
culty, turned  at  once  to  the  leading  man  of  our  party 

164 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

and  said,  "Go  at  once,  take  a  Christian  man  and  have 
him  draw  water  from  your  well."  The  man  could  not 
refuse,  after  his  professions  of  friendship,  and  went 
at  once  and  had  the  water  drawn  by  a  Christian,  and 
our  other  friends  followed  his  example.  Then  the  peo- 
ple who  used  water  from  these  wells  demanded  that  the 
other  wells  in  the  place  should  be  drawn  from,  so  that 
no  one  could  persecute  them ;  so  the  Hindus,  to  make 
all  alike,  took  the  Christian  to  all  the  wells  in  the  vil- 
lage and  had  him  draw  from  each  well  and  make  them 
all  alike!  These  people  are  of  the  soldier  caste,  and 
that  morning  everywhere  they  had  their  long  clubs 
ready  for  use  if  need  be.  They  have  no  conscience, 
except  fear  of  the  government,  about  beating  a  man's 
brains  out  if  he  comes  in  their  way. 

Bishop  Thoburn  had  a  thrilling  experience  at  Har- 
tala,  near  Moradabad,  some  thirty  years  ago,  when  at- 
tempting to  settle  a  water  dispute  between  the  Jats  and 
Christians.  The  story  confirms  Mr.  Parker's  remark 
that  these  men  are  quite  prepared  to  use  extreme  vio- 
lence when  excited.  The  Jats  of  Hartala  had  decided 
that  the  Christian  preacher  in  the  village  should  not 
draw  water  from  the  wayside  well.  Mr.  Thoburn, 
thinking  the  villagers  would  not  dare  resist  the  acts  of 
a  European,  thought  to  end  the  dispute  by  drawing 
water  himself.  Taking  the  brass  vessel  and  cord  used 
by  the  Christians  he  stepped  upon  the  well  curb  and 
began  to  lower  the  lotah  into  the  well.  The  exasper- 
ated Jats  roughly  seized  him,  bound  him  fast  to  a  tree, 
and  then  sat  down  to  consider  what  should  be  done 
with  him.  Some  were  for  killing  him,  others,  having 
fear  of  punishment  before  their  eyes,  urged  it  would 
be  safer  for  them  to  let  him  go.  Meanwhile  one  of  the 

native  Christians  ran  into  the  city  and  told  the  terrible 

165 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

news  that  the  Jats  of  Hartala  were  going  to  murder  the 
missionary.  The  head  master  of  the  Mission  school, 
himself  an  old  police  officer,  mounted  a  horse  and  with 
a  naked  sword  in  his  hand  rode  out  toward  Hartala, 
breathing  vengeance  upon  the  Jats.  About  half  way  to 
the  village  he  was  met  by  Mr.  Thoburn,  who  had  been 
released  by  the  Jats  and  was  returning  home,  his  con- 
fidence in  European  invincibility  being  somewhat  weak- 
ened by  what  had  occurred.  The  government  took  the 
matter  very  seriously  that  such  an  indignity  should 
have  been  offered  to  a  European,  and  at  one  time  it  was 
proposed  to  raze  the  whole  village  to  the  ground. 
Finally,  at  Mr.  Thoburn's  earnest  request,  the  offenders 
got  off  with  a  comparatively  light  punishment. 

Mr.  Parker's  second  term  of  service  synchronized 
with  the  period  of  William  Taylor's  successful  evangel- 
istic work  in  India  and  with  the  development  of  Sun- 
day school  work  among  non-Christians.  Mr.  Parker 
was  in  full  sympathy  with  both  movements  and  heartily 
seconded  the  plans  suggested  by  the  young  missionary 
from  Chicago,  the  Rev.  T.  Craven,  whose  is  the  credit 
of  first  demonstrating  that  non-Christian  children  could 
be  gathered  by  thousands  into  Christian  Sunday 
schools.  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Craven's  arrival  there 
were  in  the  Conference  34  Sunday  schools,  with  1,116 
scholars.  In  four  years  the  number  of  schools  was 
more  than  four  times  this  number;  and  when,  at  the 
close  of  1882,  Mr.  Parker  took  furlough  to  return  to 
America  there  were  344  schools,  having  15,397 
scholars.  More  than  one  half  of  these  were  in  the 
Rohilkhand  District.  Mr.  Parker  was  an  experienced 
and  enthusiastic  educationist  and  had  given  many  years 

of  service  to  the  schools  of  the  Mission;  children  and 

166 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

young  people  were  everywhere  his  friends  and  always 
received  special  attention,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that 
the  Sunday  schools  always  had  his  fostering  care.  In 
one  of  his  letters  he  gives  an  account  of  two  days'  work, 
Saturday  and  Sunday.  The  Saturday's  work  is  sum- 
marized by  himself  in  this  manner : 

This  altogether  made  a  very  good  day's  work.  Com- 
mencing at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  drove  twen- 
ty-four miles,  examined  and  laid  out  work  for  two 
schools,  and  visited  two  more,  giving  us  a  walk  of  three 
miles  and  a  ride  of  six,  straightened  out  and  audited 
a  quarter's  accounts  of  the  circuit,  held  an  evening 
service,  settling  some  trying  difficulties  after  the  meet- 
ing. This  was  Saturday,  however,  and  with  a  day  of 
rest  near  we  often  do  a  hard  day's  work. 

His  Sunday  could  not  well  be  called  a  day  of  rest,  for 
work  began  at  six  in  the  morning  and  continued  until 
late  at  night.  The  day's  work  included  a  love  feast, 
two  preaching  services,  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  and  baptism  of  eleven  persons,  and  last,  but 
not  least,  four  Sunday  schools  in  as  many  different  vil- 
lages, which  could  only  be  reached  by  weary  tramp 
through  sandy  lanes  and  fields.  His  remarks  concern- 
ing the  four  schools  he  had  that  day  examined  express 
his  feelings  regarding  the  one  hundred  and  seventy 
Sunday  schools  on  his  district : 

At  four  o'clock  we  rode  three  miles  to  yet  another 
Sunday  school,  where  the  usual  examination  and  distri- 
bution of  prizes  was  gone  through  with.  These  Sun- 
day schools  among  non-Christian  children  are  a  won- 
der to  us  all.  The  singing,  tickets,  Sunday  school 
papers,  prizes,  etc.,  keep  the  boys  interested,  and  give 
them  much  Scripture  knowledge,  and  at  the  same  time 
they  scatter  Scripture  texts  and  religious  truths  broad- 

167 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

cast  over  the  land.  God  seems  to  be  giving  us  the  chil- 
dren by  the  thousand.  In  one  city  of  sixty  thousand 
people  we  have  ten  of  these  Sunday  schools. 

Church  discipline  was  another  matter  which  made 
numerous  calls  upon  the  wisdom  and  patience  and 
Christian  charity  of  the  presiding  elder.  Converts  from 
non-Christian  communities  bring  with  them  ideals  and 
standards  of  morality  in  some  respects  unlike  those 
which  prevail  in  Christian  lands.  It  is  a  difficult  matter 
to  deal  wisely  with  such  cases.  The  missionary  is  often 
placed  on  the  horns  of  a  very  painful  dilemma.  He 
dares  not  set  the  standard  of  Christian  morality  below 
the  New  Testament  model,  and  he  knows  that  in  this 
land,  where  custom  has  greater  authority  than  law,  it 
is  particularly  desirable  to  begin  right.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  knows  that  even  the  most  sincere  con- 
verts are  not  yet  emancipated  from  the  authority  of 
customs  which  in  some  things  are  absolutely  forbidden 
to  Christians,  and  that  a  strict  administration  of  ecclesi- 
astical law  is  more  than  these  weak  brethren  can  en- 
dure. Mr.  Parker  spent  thousands  of  weary  hours  in 
dealing  with  such  cases  and  trying  to  save  the  delin- 
quents without  being  unfaithful  to  the  Church.  To  be 
utterly  loyal  to  his  Master  and  at  the  same  time  to  show 
mercy  to  those  who  deserved  punishment  was  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  one  who  had  a  tender  conscience  as  well 
as  a  sympathetic  heart.  In  the  performance  of  such 
duty  Mr.  Parker  learned  much  of  that  "fellowship  of 
sufferings"  which  Paul  sought  to  realize. 

Two  interesting  cases  taken  from  Mr.  Parker's  let- 
ters show  the  kind  of  questions  that  came  up  and  how 
they  were  dealt  with.  The  first  is  a  story  of  lapse  into 

performance  of  idolatrous  ceremony.    At  a  camp  meet- 

168 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

ing  of  village  Christians,  held  shortly  after  a  fearful 
epidemic  of  fever,  many  of  those  present  spoke  in  the 
love  feast  of  their  trials  and  temptations  because  of 
sickness,  and  thanked  God  that  they  had  been  kept 
from  turning  to  idols  for  aid  in  their  affliction.  Then 
came  a  testimony  of  a  different  sort,  which  is  given  as 
described  by  Mr.  Parker : 

There  was,  however,  a  dark  side  to  this  same  love 
feast.  When  nearly  all  had  spoken,  one  of  the  local 
preachers  arose,  a  man  much  respected,  a  graduate 
of  our  theological  school,  and  at  the  time  in  charge 
of  an  important  work.  He  also  referred  to  the  sick- 
ness and  said  he  had  a  confession  to  make.  When 
his  wife  and  children  were  very  sick,  the  men  who  per- 
form these  idolatrous  ceremonies  came  to  his  wife, 
while  he  was  away,  and  made  her  believe 'that  a  very 
simple  offering  made  to  a  certain  deity  would  cure  her. 
Hence  his  wife  gave  him  no  rest,  as  she  wanted  this 
worship  performed  and  the  offering  made.  In  the 
midst  of  the  pleadings  of  his  wife  and  the  assurances 
of  his  friends  he  had  yielded  and  had  allowed  and 
aided  in  the  ceremony.  Lights  were  placed  around  the 
sick  bed  and  around  the  room,  and  a  chicken  was 
brought  in  with  great  solemnity,  and  while  the  per- 
former mumbled  certain  prayers  and  incantations  the 
chicken  was  moved  about  all  over  and  around  the  body 
of  the  sick  woman,  and  then  it  was  taken  outside  to  a 
certain  place  and  killed.  Rice  was  passed  around  in  the 
same  manner  and  thrown  out,  and  finally  a  donkey  was 
led  to  the  door  and  the  evil  spirit  induced  to  go  away 
with  this' donkey.  Thus  the  spirit  that  was  afflicting  the 
woman  was  said  to  be  taken  away.  The  desired  result, 
however,  did  not  follow.  The  penitence  of  the  preacher 
was  evidently  sincere,  and  his  shame  such  that  he  could 
not  lift  up  his  head.  All  were  grieved  teyoncl  expres- 
sion at  such  a  fall,  but  all  said  the  man  must  be  pun- 
ished. Hence  the  preacher  in  charge,  a  native,  at  once 

169 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

called  a  committee  of  local  preachers  and  suspended 
the  man  until  the  next  District  Conference.  I  never 
saw  a  church  trial  before  where  all  was  conducted  in 
such  love,  and  where  all  agreed  as  they  did  at  this  one. 
The  offender  said,  "I  have  sinned  and  deserve  to  be 
punished."  The  man  who  brought  the  charge  said,  "I 
bring  this  charge  against  a  dear  friend,  not  because  I 
would  harm  him,  but  because  I  love  the  church,  and 
must  see  the  church  kept  pure  though  it  cause  the  fall 
of  those  I  love  most." 

The  affair  ended  in  the  suspension  of  the  offender 
for  one  year,  a  sentence  which  was  felt  as  much  by  the 
church  as  by  the  delinquent,  for  he  was  an  energetic 
and  successful  worker,  and  there  was  urgent  need  of 
his  services. 

The  other  case  was  more  of  a  comedy  than  a  tragedy, 
although  it  relates  to  one  of  the  most  serious  questions 
connected  with  the  evangelization  of  India.  A  proba- 
tioner in  the  church  had  beaten  his  wife  so  severely 
that  the  poor  woman  was  lying  ill  in  consequence.  The 
husband  acknowledged  that  he  had  beaten  his  wife. 
He  said  he  was  not  in  the  habit  of  beating  her,  but  this 
time  a  woman's  disobedience  and  the  devil's  tempta- 
tion had  been  too  much  for  his  temper.  He  had  not  in- 
tended to  hurt  her  so  much,  but  when  he  struck  her  she 
fell  backward  and  hurt  her  head  in  falling.  The  ques- 
tion of  punishment  then  came  up.  It  was  not  desirable 
to  bring  him  before  a  magistrate  for  punishment,  since 
the  magistrate  was  a  non-Christian  and  it  would  be  a 
disgrace  to  the  whole  Christian  community  to  have  such 
a  case  brought  up.  It  would  be  of  little  use  to  drop  the 
man's  name  from  the  list  of  probationers ;  he  had  been 
baptized,  was  known  as  a  Christian,  and  would  be  con- 
sidered a  Christian  whether  in  the  church  or  out  of  it. 

170 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

A  more  practical  suggestion  was  that  the  other  Chris- 
tians refuse  to  eat  or  smoke  with  this  man  for  a  few 
months.  Finally  the  majority  of  the  Christians  agreed 
that  the  best  punishment  would  be  to  require  the  man, 
who  was  their  water  carrier,  to  furnish  water  at  half 
the  usual  wages  for  one  month.  Mr.  Parker's  account 
of  the  close  of  the  discussion  gives  a  glimpse  of  the 
"woman  question"  from  the  oriental  standpoint: 

The  preacher  in  charge  thought  this  punishment  not 
equal  to  the  offense,  and  this  led  to  a  discussion.  One 
local  preacher  said  that  if  the  punishment  were  too  se- 
vere all  the  ignorant  women  who  were  being  lifted  up 
by  Christianity  would  get  proud  and  become  disobe- 
dient and  refuse  to  do  their  proper  work.  He  said  that 
these  women  were  not  like  foreign  women,  but  having 
been  kept  in  ignorance  so  long  they  were  proud  and 
overbearing  if  not  properly  restrained ;  that  some  pun- 
ishment was  at  times  necessary,  and  if  men  in  cases  of 
abuse  were  here  punished  too  severely,  the  influence 
would  be  to  make  the  women  willful  and  proud.  An 
exhorter  said  that  he  believed  that  the  women  in  India 
sometimes  needed  an  "exhortation ;"  that  when  he  was 
first  married  his  wife  refused  to  cook  or  take  care  of 
the  house,  and  he,  after  bearing  it  a  while,  gave  her 
one  "practical  exhortation,"  and  she  had  been  an  excel- 
lent wife  ever  since.  He  believed  in  punishing  such 
offenders  as  the  one  present,  but  not  so  hard  as  to  make 
the  women  think  that  they  could  rule  and  refuse  to  do 
their  work. 

These  remarks  called  forth  an  exhortation  from  the 
missionary  on  the  treatment  of  their  families,  on  the 
power  of  love,  and  on  the  rights  of  women.  I  have 
noted  this  incident  as  it  reveals  a  little  of  the  condition 
of  the  people  and  shows  one  of  the  difficulties  which  we 
have  often  to  meet  when  men  are  first  brought  out  of 
heathenism.  It  is  a  fact  also  that  the  past  treatment  of 

171 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

woman  has  not  been  such  as  to  develop  the  hotter  quali- 
ties of  her  nature. 

When  the  subject  of  woman's  degradation  in  non- 
Christian  lands  is  under  consideration  it  is  too  com- 
monly assumed  that  these  women  are  conscious  of  their 
condition  and  anxious  for  improvement,  and  that  they 
would  improve  if  opportunity  were  given.  But  the  sad 
truth  is  that  the  \vomen  are  degraded  in  their  own 
moral  and  spiritual  and  intellectual  natures:  so  much 
so  indeed  that,  generally  speaking,  their  moral  condi- 
tion is  worse  than  that  of  men.  There  is  less  con- 
science, feebler  response  to  lessons  of  truth,  less  desire 
for  improvement.  Ill  usage  and  unwise  treatment  have 
no  doubt  made  women  what  they  are,  degraded  quite 
as  much  in  their  own  natures  as  in  their  outward  con- 
dition, and  mere  change  of  environment  or  bringing 
them  within  the  reach  of  opportunity  will  not  at  once 
make  them  all  that  women  ought  to  be. 

In  1877  Mr.  Parker  had  the  great  pleasure  and  satis- 
faction of  baptizing  a  very  promising  convert  from  the 
Chumar  caste,  or  leather  workers.  About  1 50,000  peo- 
ple of  this  caste  live  in  the  division  of  the  Northwest 
Provinces  called  the  District  of  Moradabad.  For  many 
years  the  Gospel  had  been  preached  among  these  people, 
who  everywhere  heard  it  gladly.  In  many  places  their 
idolatry  was  virtually  abandoned  and  they  really  had 
no  religion  except  Christianity,  although  in  their  social 
life  traditional  customs  prevailed.  But,  though  appar- 
ently convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity  and  always 
ready  to  be  taught,  none  were  baptized.  Though  their 
caste  is  very  low,  to  them  it  is  as  important  a  matter  in 
social  and  business  life  as  a  Brahman's  is  to  him.  If 

they  became  Christians  they  could  not  eat  with  their 

172 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

friends  again,  no  one  would  give  them  work,  they 
would  be  turned  out  of  their  houses,  the  wells  would 
be  closed  against  them,  and  life  would  be  altogether  in- 
supportable. So  caste  could  not  be  given  up.  But  at 
last  a  young  man,  a  leader  among  his  people,  so  ear- 
nestly desired  to  become  a  Christian  that  he  was  ready 
to  sacrifice  everything.  He  broke  his  caste  by  eating 
with  Christians,  and  in  so  doing  found  peace  in  Christ. 
The  story  of  what  followed,  written  by  Mr.  Parker, 
sheds  light  on  the  complicated  questions  and  interests 
which  attend  missionaries'  work  in  India : 

The  man  was  at  once  excommunicated,  and  day  after 
day  the  council  met  to  provide  means  to  prevent  others 
from  breaking  loose.  The  people  where  the  young  man 
lived  were  ordered  to  turn  him  out  of  that  block  alto- 
gether or  they  would  also  be  excommunicated  at  once. 
And  it  was  proclaimed  that  if  any  others  became  Chris- 
tians they  would  also  be  turned  out  of  their  houses. 
The  wife  and  children  of  the  young  man  were  kept  from 
being  baptized  through  fear,  and  the  parents,  who 
owned  the  house,  were  ordered  to  turn  out  their  son  at 
once.  Just  here,  however,  a  division  occurred  in  the 
council.  Some  of  the  leaders — members  of  the  council 
— were  inquirers  and  believers  in  Christianity,  and  they 
saw  that  if  this  man  was  turned  out  of  his  house  the 
next  man  who  received  Christ  must  be  turned  out  also. 
Hence  a  strong  party  soon  took  the  part  of  the  young 
man.  He  is  therefore  still  in  his  house  with  his  family, 
though  he  has  to  eat  his  food  separately.  His  family 
will  no  doubt  soon  follow  him  and  receive  Christ. 

I  have  held  several  series  of  meetings  among  this 
class  of  people  this  year  and  have  seen  many  under 
deep  conviction,  so  that  they  had  no  rest,  day  or  night, 
yet  this  strong  chain  of  caste  bound  them  and  they 
would  not  yield.  Hundreds  say,  "Sometime  we  will, 
we  must  yield,  but  not  now :  wait  a  little."  This  people 

173 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

have  but  little  caste,  and  yet  how  it  binds  them  down 
to  old  customs  and  keeps  them  just  where  Satan  would 
keep  them,  in  idolatry  and  superstition !  No  one  in 
America  can  at  all  understand  the  power  of  caste  over 
this  people.  Now  that  we  have  made  a  new  break  in 
this  chain  by  releasing  this  young  man  we  shall  keep 
to  work  within  this  caste,  and  when  we  have  a  Christian 
community  formed  from  these  people  it  will  be  easier 
for  others  to  come  over.  Each  new  break  will  weaken 
the  chain  until  by  and  by  it  will  have  but  little  force 
left.  Our  work  thus  follows  caste  lines.  Converts  will 
have  great  influence  over  people  of  their  own  caste  but 
very  little  over  persons  of  other  castes.  The  reason  of 
our  having  so  many  inquirers  among  this  particular 
people  is  that  some  years  ago  two  priests  of  this  people 
were  converted  and  have  been  working  ever  since  for 
their  old  disciples. 

The  life  and  work  of  the  presiding  elder  of  Rohil- 
khand  may  be  in  some  measure  apprehended  by  these 
echoes  from  the  villages  and  towns  in  his  diocese.  His 
was  a  most  laborious  life,  .and  after  five  years  of  such 
service  he  was  at  his  own  earnest  request  relieved  of 
charge  of  the  district.  During  1878  and  1879  his  work 
was  nominally  confined  to  the  Moradabad  Circuit.  In 
the  beginning  of  1880  ill  health  compelled  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham, the  presiding  elder,  to  return  to  America,  and 
Mr.  Parker  resumed  charge  of  the  district,  returning  on 
furlough  to  America  in  1883.  Two  years  of  severe 
famine  during  the  eleven  years  under  review  increased 
his  cares.  His  attention  was  also  given  to  various 
questions  pertaining  to  the  consolidation  of  the  work 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India :  the  kind 
and  amount  of  episcopal  supervision  necessary,  the 
massing  together  of  large  numbers  of  native  Chris- 
tians, ministers,  and  laymen,  in  order  to  develop  con- 

174 


THE  ROHILKHAND  DISTRICT 

sciousness  of  numbers  and  increase  the  momentum  of 
progress,  the  public  defense  of  the  Mission  from  the 
attacks  of  enemies  and  the  misconceptions  of  friends, 
and  through  letters  to  the  Church  papers  and  private 
correspondence  doing  all  he  could  to  increase  the  in- 
terest of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  great 
work  of  its  missions  in  India.  Some  of  these  will  re- 
ceive further  notice  in  the  next  chapter. 

175 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  V. — THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
IN  INDIA 

IN  India  the  decade  from  1871  to  1881  was  the 
period  of  the  advancement  of  the  work  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  beyond  the  territorial  bound- 
aries of  the  original  India  Mission.  William  Taylor 
and  J.  M.  Thoburn  were  leaders  in  this  movement,  and 
the  late  lamented  Dennis  Osborne  also  had  much  to  do 
with  it.  Mr.  Parker  was  fully  occupied  with  his  work 
on  the  Rohilkhand  District,  and  had  little  to  do  with  the 
work  in  the  regions  beyond,  but  his  eye  was  upon  it,  his 
heart  was  interested  in  it,  and  his  brain  and  pen  were 
busy  suggesting  and  devising  and  discussing  and  com- 
pleting plans  for  the  unification  of  the  work  of  the 
Church  in  India.  His  ecclesiastical  statesmanship  is 
manifest  in  the  various  plans  and  efforts  which  found 
completion  in  the  regularly  constituted  Central  Confer- 
ence of  India,  authorized  by  the  General  Conference 
of  1884  and  duly  organized  under  the  presidency  of 
Bishop  Hurst  at  its  first  session,  held  in  Bareilly  in 
January,  1885. 

Years  of  consultation,  correspondence,  and  experi- 
ment preceded  this  consummation.  Looking  back  upon 
the  accomplished  work  it  appears  to  be  the  natural  out- 
growth of  the  condition  of  the  Church,  and  such  it  is ; 
and  this  is  the  highest  proof  of  the  practical  wisdom 
and  sagacity  of  the  men  who  brought  it  to  pass.  Never- 
theless the  work  was  not  easy,  and  there  were  serious 
obstacles  to  be  overcome  and  dangers  to  be  avoided 

which  in  one  way  or  another  threatened  to  defeat  the 

176 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  INDIA 

enterprise.  There  were  differences  of  opinion  among 
the  men  on  the  field  concerning  the  advantages  or  the 
possibility  of  such  an  organization.  Some  of  the  mis- 
sionaries in  the  old  field  were  rather  dubious  at  times, 
seeing  the  somewhat  erratic  and  apparently  irrespon- 
sible movements  of  the  men  skirmishing  so  vigorously 
on  a  frontier  line  which  extended  from  Ouetta  to  Sing- 
apore, and  which  occupied  posts  at  Bombay,  Madras, 
Calcutta,  Rangoon,  and  Penang.  And  some  of  these 
skirmishers  themselves,  in  return,  looked  askance  upon 
the  slower  movements  of  men  who  were  in  the  pay  of 
the  Missionary  Society,  and  were  accustomed  to  regu- 
late their  movements  according  to  suggestions  from  the 
Mission  Board  and  the  financial  aid  received  therefrom. 
It  was  no  easy  matter  to  weld  these  differing,  though 
by  no  means  antagonistic,  elements  into  a  homogeneous 
body.  But  the  difficulty  emphasized  the  need.  For  if 
at  the  beginning  there  was  so  much  difference  of  senti- 
ment and  opinion  the  divergence  would  increase  as  the 
years  went  on. 

And  there  were  fears  in  some  circles  at  home.  What 
was  this  plan  for  the  organization  of  an  ecclesiastical 
court,  or  committee,  or  Conference,  which  was  to  be 
something  greater  than  an  Annual  Conference?  Per- 
haps the  leaders  in  India  were  ambitiously  desiring  the 
organization  of  an  independent  church.  And  when 
they  understood  that  this  court  was  to  take  cognizance 
of  the  whole  of  India  they  asked,  "What  is  this  but  a 
General  Conference  under  another  name?"  The  vari- 
ous names  given  at  different  times  to  this  organization 
l>ear  testimony  to  the  existence  of  such  opinions  in 
America  and  to  the  efforts  which  the  missionaries  in 
India  made  to  remove  all  stumbling-blocks  out  of  the 

(12)  i77 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER  . 

way.  At  first  this  body  was  called  the  "Delegated  Con- 
ference;" then  it  was  called  the  "Central  Committee;" 
and  the  use  of  the  name  "Conference"  was  carefully 
avoided  until  the  General  Conference  itself  had  passed 
an  order  for  the  organization  of  the  Central  Confer- 
ence. 

A  number  of  the  prominent  men  in  the  North  India 
and  South  India  Conferences  shared  in  all  the  prelimi- 
nary and  preparatory  work  pertaining  to  this  enter- 
prise, but  J.  M.  Thoburn  and  E.  W.  Parker  were  the 
leaders  in  the  business.  The  following  account  of  the 
beginning  of  this  work,  written  by  Bishop  Thoburn  in 
January,  1902,  gives  a  clear  account  of  his  own  share 
in  the  work  and  also  of  Mr.  Parker's  relation  to  it : 

In  1879  I  became  impressed  that  we  needed  an  or- 
ganization, in  which  all  parts  of  our  scattered  work  in 
India  would  be  represented,  to  look  after  the  general 
interests  and  to  keep  us  from  drifting  apart.  I  thought 
this  out  for  some  time  and  then  wrote  to  Brother  Par- 
ker, giving  an  outline  of  what  I  thought  seemed  to  be 
needed.  By  an  extraordinary  coincidence  my  letter 
on  its  way  to  him  crossed  one  from  him  to  me  of  almost 
practically  the  same  import.  Our  minds  had  been  run- 
ning in  the  same  channel,  and  the  coincidence  im- 
pressed us  both  very  deeply  as  an  evidence  that  God 
was  leading  us.  We  discussed  the  subject  by  letter  and 
afterward  when  we  met,  and  also  brought  it  before 
other  brethren,  until  finally  a  meeting  was  effected  at 
Allahabad  representing  all  parts  of  India,  and  a  memo- 
rial sent  to  the  General  Conference  asking  that  a  Cen- 
tral Conference  be  organized.  This  met  with  little 
favor  at  the  General  Conference  of  1880,  but  four  years 
later,  when  Dr.  Parker  was  delegate  from  the  North 
India  Conference,  he  succeeded  in  securing  the  authori- 
zation of  the  Central  Conference  as  it  now  stands  in 
the  Discipline.  I  have  always  regarded  this  as  perhaps 

178 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  INDIA 

the  greatest  measure  of  his  life.  He  managed  the  mat- 
ter with  great  skill  and  good  sense,  and  the  chapter  on 
the  subject  incorporated  into  the  Discipline  was  sub- 
stantially his  production. 

Mr.  Parker's  personal  connection  with  the  evolution 
of  the  Central  Conference  and  the  intrinsic  importance 
of  this  organization  justify  a  more  detailed  account  of 
this  landmark  in  the  history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Southern  Asia.  Bishop  Thoburn's  refer- 
ence to  a  meeting  at  Allahabad  prepares  the  way  for 
inserting  here  the  opening  paragraphs  of  the  "Minutes 
of  a  united  session  of  the  North  India  and  South  India 
Conferences  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church :" 

The  North  India  Conference  and  the  South  India 
Conference  by  joint  action  met  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  Allahabad,  January  13,  1880,  for  a 
Conference  reunion.  The  Rev.  George  Bowen,  presi- 
dent of  the  South  India  Conference,  took  the  chair  and 
announced  the  hymn  beginning, 

"  Our  God  is  love,  and  all  his  saints 
His  image  bear  below." 

After  singing  he  led  the  Conference  in  prayer.  The 
president  then  gave  an  address  of  welcome  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  North  India  Conference  who  had  joined 
the  South  India  Conference  at  their  place  of  session. 
The  Rev.  E.  W.  Parker,  of  North  India  Conference, 
made  a  reply.  The  Conference  reunion  was  then  com- 
pleted by  the  election  of  George  Bowen  as  chairman 
and  T.  J.  Scott  as  secretary,  the  hymn  beginning, 

"Jesus,  united  by  thy  grace, 
And  each  to  each  endeared," 

was  sung,  and  the  assembly  of  the  united  Conferences 
was  thrown  open  for  remarks.  Earnest  words  of  love 
and  welcome  were  uttered  by  several  members  of  both 

179 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Conferences.  The  members  of  the  two  Conferences 
were  then  introduced  to  each  other  by  the  secretaries 
calling  the  rolls,  each  member  rising  as  his  name  was 
called. 

This  united  Conference  held  three  sessions  and  trans- 
acted several  important  items  of  business,  two  of  which 
are  here  recorded:  I.  The  Conference  resolved  itself 
into  "a  corporate  body  for  the  management  and  con- 
trol of  our  common  interests  in  India,  and  to  exercise 
such  functions  as  may  be  assigned  to  it  by  the  General 
Conference;  provided,  that  the  delegated  body  shall 
take  no  action  contravening  the  organic  law  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;"  2.  The  Conference  as- 
sumed for  itself  the  name  of  "Delegated  Conference 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India."  The 
next  Conference  was  composed  of  clerical  and  lay  dele- 
gates from  the  North  India  and  South  India  Confer- 
ences, and  met  in  Allahabad,  July  14-18,  1881.  Mr. 
Parker  was  present,  as  one  of  the  delegates  from  the 
North  India  Conference,  and  was  chairman  of  a  special 
committee  appointed  to  prepare  a  minute  on  the  rela- 
tion of  mission  agents,  not  members  of  Annual  Confer- 
ences, to  the  Conferences.  This  committee  prepared  a 
report  which  dealt  with  the  general  question  of  lay 
workers  and  also  gave  special  attention  to  the  "official 
relation  of  missionaries  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society."  As  already  affirmed,  in  another  part 
of  this  memoir,  these  rules  were  framed  by  Mr.  Parker ; 
and  when  in  the  General  Conference  of  1884  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  destroy  the  autonomy  of  the  Wom- 
an's Foreign  Missionary  Society  the  society  escaped 
because  Mr.  Parker  was  able  to  present  these  rules  as 

being  in  successful  operation  in  India.    They  received 

180 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  INDIA 

the  hearty  approval  of  the  Committee  on  Missions  and 
were  subsequently  approved  by  the  General  Conference. 
This  brief  account  of  the  beginnings  of  the  Central 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Southern  Asia  finds  its  appropriate  ending  in  the  re- 
mark that,  when  the  constitution  of  the  Delegated  Con- 
ference came  before  the  Annual  Conferences  in  India 
for  approval,  in  1882,  the  name  of  "Delegated  Confer- 
ence" was  rejected  and  "Central  Committee"  became 
the  name  of  the  organization ;  and  by  this  name  it  was 
known  until  it  became  the  Central  Conference  by 
authority  of  the  General  Conference  in  1884. 

In  a  non-Christian  land  like  India  foreign  mission- 
aries, native  ministers,  and  native  Christians  suffer 
moral  injury  from  being  always  in  the  minority.  Men 
lose  an  appreciable  amount  of  courage  and  faith  and 
hope  from  this  cause,  and  foreign  missionaries  are 
much  helped  in  maintaining  the  tone  of  an  aggressive 
Christianity  by  occasional  visits  to  the  home  land.  This 
is  one  of  several  reasons  why  mission  boards  should  in- 
sist upon  their  missionaries  returning  at  stated  inter- 
vals. But  for  the  native  ministers  and  native  Chris- 
tians generally  this  kind  of  help  is  unprocurable  and 
some  other  method  must  be  followed.  Since  the  isola- 
tion of  the  native  ministers  and  the  comparative  small- 
ness  of  the  Christian  communities  in  the  different  sta- 
tions brought  a  depressing  and  harmful  sense  of  weak- 
ness to  the  Christians,  it  was  argued  that  the  evil  could 
be  partly  removed,  or  its  injurious  effects  neutralized, 
by  occasionally  massing  together  large  numl)ers  of  na- 
tive Christians  for  protracted  religious  services.  It 
would  give  new  life  and  hope  and  zeal  to  preachers  and 

people  to  worship  together  for  several  days  in  a  great 

181 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

congregation  of  Christians,  instead  of  the  little  com- 
panies of  twos  and  threes  which  met  for  worship  in  the 
villages.  And  at  these  camp  meetings,  moreover, 
preachers  and  people  were  sure  to  make  some  definite 
advance  in  personal  religious  experience  and  reach  a 
higher  plane  of  spiritual  life  than  they  had  before  en- 
joyed. In  reference  to  the  second  united  camp  meet- 
ing Mr.  Parker  wrote: 

This  year  we  had  our  second  meeting,  and  about 
nine  hundred  were  present  on  the  ground.  This  is 
small  compared  to  the  Hindus,  for  at  their  "great 
times"  they  collect  more  than  nine  hundred  thousand 
instead  of  nine  hundred.  Still,  we  who  came  to  this 
field  when  there  were  no  Christians  in  all  this  region 
were  very,  very  happy  to  see  nine  hundred  intelligent 
Christian  people  gathered  together  for  the  worship  of 
God.  These  nine  hundred  were  made  up  of  about  five 
hundred  men  and  women,  the  leaders  in  our  work; 
nearly  all  of  the  men  and  women  present  could  read 
and  write,  and  all  are  well  instructed  in  religion;  the 
other  four  hundred  were  boys  and  girls  large  enough 
to  get  good  at  such  a  meeting.  The  farmers,  weavers, 
shoemakers,  etc.,  were  generally  unable  to  be  present. 
Many  of  our  large  boys  and  girls  were  converted, 
others,  who  were  doubting,  were  brought  into  clear 
light,  and  all  of  the  preachers  were  baptized  with  new 
strength.  These  gatherings  do  our  native  preachers 
great  good. 

It  seems  very  remarkable  to  us  that  God  has  raised 
up  such  a  company.  We  have  not  been  long  at  work, 
yet  the  boys  we  first  taught  were  the  preachers  at  this 
camp  meeting.  When  one  native  brother  sat  down 
after  preaching  a  clear  Gospel  sermon  a  missionary 
remarked,  "When  we  get  one  hundred  and  fifty  such 
men  as  that  we  may  all  pack  up  and  go  home  to  Amer- 
ica." Our  camp  meeting  gives  us  an  idea  of  our 
strength.  Here  are  nine  hundred  well-dressed  educated 

182 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  INDIA 

men,  women,  and  children.  These  are  the  leaders  in 
this  great  field  of  ours,  and  their  flocks  are  far  away, 
scattered  over  the  plains  from  fifty  to  two  hundred 
miles  distant. 

Mr.  Parker  was  the  acknowledged  leader  in  this 
movement,  though  other  missionaries  were  prominent 
and  active.  The  first  united  meeting  of  the  Christians 
of  the  whole  Mission  was  attempted  in  Shahjahanpur 
in  the  year  1880.  But  there  were  comparatively  few 
Christians  in  Oudh,  and  Chandausi,  some  thirty  miles 
south  of  Moradabad,  a  circuit  of  the  Rohilkhand  Dis- 
trict, became  the  center,  and  for  many  years  the  Chan- 
dausi camp  meeting,  or  mela,  with  its  leader,  Dr.  Par- 
ker— for  the  two  seemed  inseparably  associated — was 
the  chief  event  of  the  year  among  preachers  and  people. 
And  it  was  just  the  place  for  such  a  man  as  Edwin  W. 
Parker.  Whether  in  making  practical  arrangements 
for  the  comfort  of  the  people,  or  in  devising  a  program 
of  services,  or  in  preaching  to  the  multitude,  or  con- 
ducting prayer  meetings  in  which  so  many  were  greatly 
blessed,  he  was  confessedly  the  right  man  in  the  right 
place.  Much  as  he  is  missed  in  the  Annual  and  District 
Conferences  and  in  the  Finance  Committee,  perhaps 
the  place  where  it  seems  least  possible  to  supply  the 
vacancy  caused  by  his  death  is  in  the  united  camp  meet- 
ings of  the  Christians. 

Dr.  M.  V.  B.  Knox,  who  visited  India  in  the  cold 
season  of  1888-89,  attended  the  Chandausi  mela  of  that 
year,  and  from  his  published  account  of  the  gathering 
the  following  extract  is  given ;  it  shows  what  an  im- 
pression it  made  upon  the  visitor,  and  incidentally  what 
encouragement  the  assemblage  must  have  brought  to 

the  missionaries  and  native  Christians  who  attended  it: 

183 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

At  eight,  in  the  cool  clear  air  of  the  December  morn- 
ing, the  great  awning  under  which  all  the  public  serv- 
ices were  held  was  crowded  for  the  love  feast.  The 
prayers,  the  singing,  and  speaking  were  all  along  Meth- 
odist lines.  That  gathering  was  a  sight  to  see.  In  the 
front  sections  were  seated  the  hundreds  of  boys  and 
girls  from  the  five  school  stations  represented,  their 
eager,  happy  faces  and  well-clad  forms  giving  a  glimpse 
of  what  Christianity  was  doing  for  them.  Beyond 
these  sat  hundreds  of  native  Christians,  collected  from 
the  cities  and  villages  of  the  district.  The  former  Brah- 
man sat  beside  the  one  who  used  to  be  of  the  lowest 
caste;  the  warrior  Rajpoot  crowded  against  the  former 
caste  of  shoemakers,  whom  he  would  have  spurned  as 
too  vile  a  thing  to  speak  to ;  all  now  sitting  together  in 
sweetest  communion,  where  caste  distinctions  are  ob- 
literated and  the  grander  brotherhood  of  man,  male 
and  female,  is  an  accomplished  fact.  Across  the  open 
aisle  sat  a  thousand  Christian  women,  whose  shackles, 
stronger  even  than  those  of  caste,  are  broken  by  the 
power  of  Christ.  And  such  testimonies,  of  rest,  joy, 
light,  hope,  faith,  of  loving  God  with  all  the  heart,  of 
wonderful  answers  to  prayer,  of  conversion  of  friends, 
of  eagerness  to  work  for  Christ — these  testimonies, 
three  hundred  of  which  were  given  in  two  hours,  would 
have  convinced  any  one  in  America,  if  skeptical,  of  our 
grand  work  in  India,  that  our  work  pays,  and  that 
money  and  workers  and  prayers  should  be  freely 
given  to  carry  it  on.  Personally,  any  doubts  in  my 
mind  were  shined  away  in  that  hour.  When  no  more 
could  be  permitted  to  speak,  though  half  a  dozen  would 
stand  waiting  at  a  time,  Dr.  Parker  called  on  all  to 
stand  who  by  that  would  witness  for  Christ  and  had 
not  already  spoken;  and  so  vast  was  the  number  that 
it  seemed  as  though  no  one  had  spoken,  the  three  hun- 
dred sitting  being  hidden  by  the  multitude  that  stood 
up.  After  this,  on  call  for  seekers  to  come  forward  for 
prayers,  thirty-three  responded — sixteen  men  and  sev- 
enteen women,  mostly  from  the  schools. 

184 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  INDIA 

The  second  book  of  this  memoir  incidentally  shows 
wliy  Mr.  Parker  from  the  first  gave  much  attention  to 
the  question  of  episcopal  supervision  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  India.  His  first  day's  experience 
showed  him  that  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  Mis- 
sion were  in  a  large  measure  contingent  upon  suitable 
administration  of  its  affairs,  and  his  first  four  or  five 
years'  service  as  a  missionary,  and  careful  study  of  the 
subject,  caused  him  to  realize  its  great  importance. 
Yet  even  if  his  experience  had  been  of  a  different  kind 
it  would  have  been  strange  indeed  if,  with  his  mental 
make-up,  he  had  not  given  much  thought  to  the  sub- 
ject of  the  possibly  best  form  of  such  supervision.  Be- 
sides, his  intimate  association  with  James  M.  Thoburn 
encouraged  and  stimulated  thought  in  this  direction. 
The  warm  personal  friendship  of  these  two  men,  their 
confidence  in  each  other  and  their  agreement  on  ques- 
tions of  mission  policy  cannot  be  left  out  of  the  annals 
of  the  India  Mission  or  passed  by  in  the  story  of  Bishop 
Parker's  life.  Working  together,  the  pair  were  irre- 
sistible. Each  was  a  leader,  yet  in  all  the  plans  and 
labors  of  forty  years  they  were  undisturbed  by  feelings 
of  jealousy.  Indeed,  it  is  not  likely  that  any  one  among 
all  their  fellow-workers  ever  thought  of  the  possibility 
of  such  a  thing  as  ill  feeling  of  any  sort  arising  between 
Thoburn  and  Parker. 

These  men  were  born  to  be  bishops  and  each  achieved 
his  destiny  years  before  the  vote  of  the  General  Con- 
ference gave  him  the  office.  Their  correspondence  and 
their  conversation  naturally  and  inevitably  dealt  with 
problems  pertaining  to  mission  work,  and  among  the 
many  such  as  that  of  episcopal  oversight  found  a  prom- 
inent place.  Three  possible  methods  were  under  discus- 

185 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

sion :  First,  occasional  visits  of  general  superintendents 
from  America.  This  was  the  system  in  operation  from 
1864  to  1887,  and  under  it  Bishops  Thomson,  Kings- 
ley,  Harris,  Andrews,  Bowman,  Merrill,  Foster,  Hurst, 
and  Ninde  made  short  visits  to  India  and  presided  at 
the  Annual  Conference  sessions.  Second,  a  missionary 
bishop  for  India;  a  method  which  had  been  already 
adopted  for  Africa.  Third,  fixing  the  residence  of  one 
of  the  general  superintendents  in  India;  a  method 
adopted  by  the  General  Conference  of  1900,  which 
gave  to  Europe  and  China  the  official  residences  of 
Bishops  Vincent  and  Moore.  According  to  the  avail- 
able correspondence  of  Mr.  Parker,  he  at  first  advocated 
the  plan  now  followed  in  regard  to  China.  In  the 
General  Conference  of  1884  Mr.  Parker  was  present, 
as  delegate  from  the  North  India  Conference,  and  he 
earnestly  advocated  the  claims  of  India  for  a  resident 
bishop.  His  speech  on  the  subject  closed  with  the  fol- 
lowing paragraphs : 

Methodism  is  a  child  of  Providence,  and  as  the  work 
demands  we  shall  go  forward.  We  have  occupied 
eighty-six  large  towns  and  with  such  missions  it  is  time 
to  go  forward.  And,  sir,  where  do  we  need  a  general 
superintendency  ?  In  Philadelphia,  or  where  we  have 
to  fight?  Sir,  I  think  we  need  it  where  the  battle  is 
with  the  heathen  and  where  the  fight  is  to  be  fought ; 
and  that  is  to-day  in  India,  and  hence  it  is  a  conviction 
that  rests  upon  my  soul  that  we  must  have  the  general 
superintendency  there. 

Some  have  said,  If  this  should  fail  how  are  you 
going  to  feel  ?  Why,  I  am  going  to  feel  to  praise  the 
Lord  for  what  he  has  done  for  India.  I  will  draw  the 
belt  a  little  tighter  around  me  and  will  go  back  to  India 
and  in  four  years  come  again. 

186 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  INDIA 

During  the  next  four  years  he  continued  to  advocate 
the  claims  of  India  for  a  resident  bishop,  and  though 
he  himself  was  not  present  at  the  General  Conference 
of  1888  his  personal  influence  with  leading  men  in  the 
Church  was  not  the  least  important  agency  in  the  elec- 
tion of  his  colleague,  James  M.  Thoburn,  to  the  office 
of  Missionary  Bishop  for  India. 

When  Bishop  Parker  died  the  native  ministers  were 
the  most  heartbroken  of«all  who  mourned  his  departure. 
"We  have  lost  our  father,"  said  they;  and  in  this  they 
spake  truly.  Other  missionaries — notably  President 
Scott  and  Dr.  Hoskins — have  been  and  are  very  dear 
to  them.  But  Bishop  Parker  sustained  a  unique  rela- 
tion with  native  ministers.  His  dealings  with  them 
were  both  personal  and  official.  At  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1884,  when  claiming  his  right  to  be  heard  as 
representing  the  wishes  of  the  native  ministers,  he 
made  this  remarkable  statement :  "I  know  personally 
nearly  every  native  Christian  in  our  field.  Of  all  the 
125  licensed  men,  no  have  my  name  on  their  licenses. 
I  know  the  native  preachers  personally,  and  I  may  say, 
without  egotism,  I  know  the  whole  work  in  the  North 
India  Conference."  It  is  no  doubt  true  that  chiefly  to 
him  the  native  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  India  owes  its  present  unique  position.  He 
loved  them  individually;  he  knew  most  of  them  inti- 
mately; he  had  much  confidence  in  them  and  large 
expectations  concerning  them;  and  he  had  broad  and 
unusually  liberal  views  concerning  their  place  in  the 
Church  and  their  fitness  for  positions  of  administrative 
authority.  A  remark  at  the  close  of  a  letter  describing 
an  extended  tour  among  the  circuits  of  his  district 

shows  his  habitual  mental  attitude  toward  them :  "We 

187 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

found,"  writes  he,  "the  native  brethren  everywhere 
cheerful  and  happy  in  their  work,  and  our  conviction  is 
deepened  that  these  men  have  the  spirit  of  Christ  and 
are  his  faithful  colaborers  for  the  redemption  of  this 
land." 

The  expectations  of  the  home  churches  are  largely 
centered  upon  the  missionaries  they  have  sent  out,  but 
the  missionaries  themselves  know  well  that  the  real 
work  of  evangelizing  India  must  be  done  by  her  own 
sons  and  daughters.  The  work  of  developing  a  native 
ministry  is  the  most  urgent  and  most  important  duty 
that  faces  the  missionary,  and  among  the  many  prob- 
lems pertaining  to  mission  work  none  calls  for  a  higher 
grade  of  ecclesiastical  statesmanship  than  that  which 
deals  with  the  status  of  the  native  ministry.  To  this 
problem  Mr.  Parker  gave  close  attention,  and  another 
page  of  this  memoir  tells  what  he  did  in  1864  in  regard 
to  granting  them  Conference  membership.  It  was  a 
radical  step  in  advance.  Eighteen  years  later  Mr.  Par- 
ker took  another  step  which  startled  many  of  his  col- 
leagues by  its  bold  liberality.  At  the  Moradabad  Con- 
ference of  1882  he  presented  the  following  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Conference  the 
interests  of  our  work  in  the  Sambhal  and  Amroha  Cir- 
cuits would  be  greatly  conserved  by  forming  a  separate 
district,  including  the  sixteen  subcircuits  of  that  vicin- 
ity, to  be  placed  under  a  native  minister  as  presiding 
elder. 

The  Conference  passed  this  revolutionary  resolution, 
and  in  accordance  therewith  the  Amroha  District  was 
formed  from  territory  within  the  Rohilkhand  District. 
When  the  Conference  appointments  were  read  the  name 

of  Zahur-ul-Haqq  appeared  as  presiding  elder  of  the 

188 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  INDIA 

new  district,  the  first  native  presiding  elder  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Asia.  There  had  been 
native  presiding  elders  appointed  in  China  some  years 
before  this  but  their  authority  was  limited  to  ecclesias- 
tical functions,  and  in  each  district  a  foreign  mission- 
ary had  charge  of  all  matters  connected  with  the 
finances  of  the  Mission.  But  Zahur-ul-Haqq  in  his  dis- 
trict exercised  as  much  authority  as  Mr.  Parker  did  in 
his  own. 

This  native  minister,  who  had  been  for  fourteen 
years  the  ecclesiastical  peer  of  the  missionaries,  now 
became  the  peer  of  the  presiding  elders  in  matters  finan- 
cial as  well  as  ecclesiastical.  He  had  a  vote  in  arrang- 
ing the  finances  of  the  Mission,  all  the  Mission  agents 
in  his  district  received  their  pay  from  his  hands,  and — 
more  than  all  this — this  Indian  presiding  elder  sat  with 
other  presiding  elders  in  the  bishop's  council  or  cabinet. 
And  so  it  came  to  pass  that  American  Methodist 
preachers  who  had  come  to  India  as  missionaries  re- 
ceived their  appointments  in  Annual  Conference  at  the 
hands  of  an  ex-Mohammedan,  one  of  their  own  con- 
verts ! 

An  act  which  carried  with  it  such  possibilities  may 
well  be  called  revolutionary,  although  it  was  in  all  re- 
spects according  to  the  law  of  the  Church.  Zahur-ul- 
Haqq  was  as  eligible  for  the  office  of  presiding  elder  as 
any  other  minister  of  his  standing,  white,  black,  yellow, 
or  brown.  Nevertheless  it  was  a  bold  experiment,  and 
deserves  to  be  classed  among  the  decisive  steps  of  Mr. 
Parker's  missionary  career.  And  it  not  only  indicates 
his  courage  and  liberality  of  mind  and  great  confidence 
in  his  native  brethren,  but  it  also  reveals  the  far-seeing 
quality  of  his  ecclesiastical  statesmanship.  "The  time 

189 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

must  come,"  said  he,  "when  the  administration  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India  will 
be  very  largely  in  the  hands  of  native  ministers.  Native 
presiding  elders  will  have  charge  of  the  work,  and  if 
they  are  not  trained  or  taught  to  do  their  work  the 
Church  will  suffer.  It  is  necessary  and  wise  and  safe 
to  begin  now  to  intrust  them  with  responsibility  and 
with  authority.  If  mistakes  are  made  there  are  mis- 
sionaries enough  to  set  things  right  again." 

A  torn  and  faded  scrap  of  paper  was  found  in  one 
of  Bishop  Parker's  books,  after  his  death,  on  which  he 
had  written  these  words : 

Oppression  gives  men  no  opportunity  to  plan  and 
act  for  themselves.  In  training  the  native  church  lead 
people  to  think  out  matters  for  themselves. 

It  was  in  harmony  with  this  theory  of  developing  a 
native  ministry,  capable  of  bearing  full  responsibility, 
that  he  and  some  of  his  missionary  brethren  advocated 
and  carried  out  the  plan  of  appointing  native  presiding 
elders.  The  experience  of  twenty  years  vindicates  the 
wisdom  of  his  course.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that  it 
is  possible  for  native  ministers  to  be  faithful  and  ef- 
fective presiding  elders,  and  that  the  work  of  preparing 
them  for  this  office  is  a  necessary  duty  which  has  not 

been  taken  up  prematurely. 

190 


A  MISSIONARY'S  HOLIDAY 


V.    THIRD  TERM  OF  SERVICE— J  883- J  896 


CHAPTER  I. — A  MISSIONARY'S  HOLIDAY 

MR.  PARKER'S  second  term  of  service  measured 
twelve  years  and  three  months  in  India.  Although  his 
health  was  much  better  than  it  had  been  during  the 
fever-stricken  years  of  his  first  term  he  was  never  for 
a  long  time  quite  free  from  illness,  and  during  the  latter 
part  of  this  period  he  was  often  laid  aside  by  an  attack 
of  fever  or  some  other  form  of  disease.  Troubles  of 
this  sort  increased  during  the  year  1882 ;  and  his  own 
health  and  that  of  Mrs.  Parker  was  in  such  a  precari- 
ous condition  that  friends  and  physicians  insisted  upon 
their  taking  health-leave  to  America  in  1883. 

Bishop  Foster,  with  Dr.  J.  M.  Reid,  the  senior  mis- 
sionary secretary,  and  Mrs.  Reid,  visited  India  officially 
near  the  close  of  1882 ;  and  at  the  Lucknow  Conference 
of  January  10-16,  1883,  it  was  arranged  that  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Parker  should  accompany  these  friends  on  their 
Tiomeward  journey.  The  Rev.  D.  W.  Thomas  took  Mr. 
Parker's  place  as  presiding  elder  of  the  Rohilkhand 
District.  The  last  two  weeks  of  January  were  spent 
in  settling  affairs  at  Bijnor  and  Moradabad,  and  on  the 
ist  of  February  they  bade  farewell  for  the  second  time 
to  their  friends  in  Rohilkhand  and  turned  their  faces 
toward  America.  It  was  hard  for  them  to  leave  India 

in  1868;   it  was  harder  still  in  1883.    Home  ties  were 

191 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

fewer  in  number;  the  bonds  to  India  had  grown 
stronger.  Mr.  Parker's  journal  makes  special  mention 
of  Mrs.  Parker's  grief  at  leaving :  "A  large  number  of 
friends  were  at  the  railway  station  to  see  us  off.  Our 
hearts  were  sore  at  parting.  God  bless  the  people !  It 
was  very  hard  for  Mrs.  Parker  to  leave  the  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  girls  in  her  boarding  school." 

They  traveled  via  Chandausi,  Aligarh,  Jeypore,  and 
Ajmere,  reaching  Bombay  on  the  6th.  At  each  place 
missionary  friends  or  native  Christians  met  them.  On 
the  Qth  they  went  aboard  the  steamer  Kashgar,  bound 
for  Suez.  Their  route,  instead  of  being  confined  to  the 
pathless  sea,  as  on  previous  journeys,  was  a  pilgrimage 
to  Egypt,  Palestine,  Constantinople,  the  Grecian  Archi- 
pelago, Naples,  Rome,  Florence,  Venice,  Milan,  Turin, 
Paris,  London,  and  Ireland.  Twenty  years'  residence 
in  the  East  had  prepared  these  missionaries  for  intelli- 
gent and  discriminating  study  of  all  the  interesting 
places  included  in  this  itinerary.  The  informing  and 
inspiring  experiences  of  this  extended  journey  in- 
creased Mr.  Parker's  efficiency  as  a  missionary  during 
the  nineteen  years  of  service  that  followed  it. 

The  comment  has  been  made  that  some  missionaries, 
and  even  bishops,  display  more  interest  in  art  and  ar- 
chaeology than  in  mission  work.  Mr.  Parker,  though 
traveling  with  his  eyes  well  open  to  all  that  was  to  be 
seen,  was  everywhere  throughout  this  tour  first  of  all  a 
missionary.  The  entries  in  his  journal  clearly  indicate 
what  things  particularly  attracted  his  attention  and 
were  to  him  best  worth  recording.  He  was  no  stranger 
to  the  squalor  and  poverty  of  the  cities  of  the  East ;  but 
British  rule  is  very  different  from  Turkish,  and  his  at- 
tention was  arrested  by  the  unsanitary  condition  of  the 

192 


A  MISSIONARY'S  HOLIDAY 

streets  of  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem,  in  marked  contrast  with 
the  well-paved,  drained,  and  sw£pt  streets  of  Morad- 
abad.  The  Palestine  tour  included  two  inland  excur- 
sions :  one  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  and  the  Jordan,  the 
other  from  Beyrout  to  Damascus.  Leaving  Port  Said 
at  5  P.  M.,  February  24,  they  reached  Jaffa  next  morn- 
ing: "Wandered  through  the  filthy  streets  of  Jaffa; 
saw  Simon's  house  by  the  seaside,  and  Dr.  Reid  read 
the  story  as  recorded  in  Acts.  Visited  the  Arcott  girls' 
school,  attended  service  at  the  American  mission 
school,  spoke  to  them  on  missions,  and  afterward 
talked  with  the  ladies  in  charge  of  the  work."  At  Jeru- 
salem the  weather  was  cold  and  stormy,  and  they  failed 
in  their  attempt  to  reach  the  Jordan :  "Started  with  a 
large  company  on  the  Jordan  tour.  Went  to  Bethle- 
hem through  terrible  rain  and  wind;  then  on  to  Mar 
Saaba,  where  we  passed  a  fearful  night.  Wind,  rain, 
hail  all  night  long.  Tents  blowing  down  and  flapping 
and  swaying,  and  water  running  through  them  all 
night  long.  It  was  an  awful  time,  and  in  the  morning 
the  whole  party  returned  to  Jerusalem."  The  bad 
weather  doubtless  gave  color  to  the  picture  of  Jeru- 
salem which  Mr.  Parker  carried  away  with  him :  "Our 
trip  to  Jerusalem  has  been  unsatisfactory  and  yet  satis- 
factory; disappointing  and  yet  pleasing;  a  commin- 
gling of  good  and  bad,  sacred  and  profane,  true  and 
false,  fact  and  mean,  debasing  tradition.  It  did  us 
good,  but  made  our  hearts  sad." 

The  illusions  of  imagination  are  cruelly  dissipated 
by  a  visit  to  the  Holy  City ;  very  often  the  most  vivid 
impressions  which  remain  are  such  as  Mr.  Parker  has 
recorded.  The  "awful  stench  and  filth,"  the  physical 

discomfort,  and,  above  all,  the  alloy  of  tradition  which 
(13)  i93 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

has  debased  the  pure  coin  of  sacred  history  inspire  sen- 
timents of  aversion  to  the  place  made  sacred  by  the 
world's  great  tragedy.  Still  the  supreme  interest  of  the 
place  is  able  to  overcome  all  these  things,  and  those  who 
have  seen  Jerusalem  once  would  gladly  go  again. 

A  short  sea  trip  from  Jaffa  brought  them  to  Beyrout, 
and  in  that  great  center  of  missionary  activity  Mr.  Par- 
ker found  much  to  interest  and  please.  The  work  and 
impressions  of  the  first  day  in  Beyrout  seem  like  a  visit 
to  a  mission  station  on  the  Rohilkhand  District.  "Vis- 
ited missions  and  bazaars ;  had  a  good  day.  The  mission 
work  here  is  good.  Dr.  Bliss  has  a  good  college,  and 
the  ladies  have  a  good  school  for  girls.  Sunday  serv- 
ices very  good."  The  next  morning  they  were  off  to 
Damascus,  and  Mr.  Parker's  journal  again  reads  as 
though  he  were  on  a  round  of  missionary  inspection. 
He  mentions  a  town  of  sixteen  thousand  inhabitants, 
near  the  Damascus  road,  nearly  all  of  them  Christians 
and  among  whom  a  missionary  labors.  "Damascus  is 
merely  a  large  Eastern  commercial  emporium ;"  but  he 
found  a  mission  there  and  visited  it,  and  was  much 
pleased  with  the  school  work.  Returning  to  Beyrout 
for  Sunday  and  Monday  he  attended  the  Arabic  and 
English  services  and  gave  two  addresses  to  the  chil- 
dren. On  Monday  the  Mission  Press  and  other  schools 
were  visited  and  addresses  given,  and  on  Tuesday, 
March  13,  they  boarded  the  steamer  in  a  rough  and 
dangerous  sea.  The  same  evening  they  were  off  for 
Cyprus,  Rhodes,  and  Scio,  at  which  place  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Reid  and  Bishop  Foster  went  ashore  to  take  the  steamer 
for  Athens,  the  Parkers  keeping  on  through  the  archi- 
pelago to  Constantinople,  where  they  were  to  be  the 

guests  of  their  Concord  schoolfellow,  Dr.  Long,  of 

194 


A  MISSIONARY'S  HOLIDAY 

Robert  College.  Dr.  Long  boarded  the  steamer  as  she 
came  to  anchor,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  passed  sev- 
eral delightful  days  among  their  friends.  Comparison 
of  missionary  ideas  and  experience,  discussion  of  politi- 
cal and  missionary  problems,  visits  to  the  college  and 
other  missionary  institutions,  with  a  little  sight-seeing, 
filled  up  the  time  of  their  sojourn  in  the  great  Eastern 
capital;  then  away  for  Naples — calling  at  Athens, 
where  their  traveling  companions  rejoined  them.  Early 
on  Easter  morning  their  vessel  cast  anchor  in  the  Bay 
of  Naples.  "Hunted  up  the  native  preacher,"  is  the 
characteristic  entry  in  Mr.  Parker's  journal;  and  Mon- 
day's entry  is  still  more  significant,  "Telegraphed  to 
Dr.  Vernon  to  come  and  see  about  property.  There  are 
two  lots,  both  good,"  etc.  The  superintendent  of  the 
Italian  Mission  came  down  from  Rome,  but  whether 
one  of  the  two  lots  was  purchased  is  not  recorded. 
They  had,  however,  the  advantage  of  his  company  when 
visiting  Pompeii  and  accompanied  him  back  to  Rome, 
where  five  days  were  spent;  Professor  Bowne  being 
with  them  part  of  the  time,  and  again  at  Florence  kind- 
ly assisting  them.  Sunday,  April  7,  was  spent  at  Flor- 
ence, and  Mr.  Parker  spoke  on  India  to  the  congrega- 
tion in  charge  of  the  Italian  minister.  "Good  church, 
good  congregation."  From  Florence  they  went  on  to 
Venice,  then  returning  to  Milan  and  on  to  Turin. 
There  the  Italian  Conference  held  its  session  under  the 
presidency  of  Bishop  Foster.  Mr.  Parker  writes :  "The 
Conference  looks  well ;  several  ex-priests  in  it.  There 
seems  to  be  a  need  of  more  spiritual  power;  the  danger 
is  that  they  may  get  converted  merely  from  Romanism 
to  Protestantism  and  not  wholly  to  Christ."  The  2Oth 
of  April  found  our  travelers  at  Paris,  where  a  week 

195 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

was  spent  in  shopping,  sight-seeing,  and  attending  ses- 
sions of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  for  France. 

They  reached  London  on  the  28th,  remaining  until 
the  1 6th  of  May.  In  addition  to  the  usual  sight-seeing 
they  enjoyed  a  visit  among  friends  from  India  living 
in  the  country,  heard  Canon  Farrar,  Mr.  Spurgeon, 
and  Dr.  Parker,  attended  the  Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society  anniversary,  the  Christian  Vernacular  Educa- 
tion Society  anniversary,  the  Church  Mission  Society 
anniversary,  the  Bible  Society  meeting,  and  other  gath- 
erings. At  these  places  they  met  many  friends  from 
India  and  wellwishers  of  missions,  among  whom  were 
Dr.  Murdoch,  Dr.  Murray  Mitchell,  and. Sir  William 
Muir. 

On  the  1 7th  of  May  they  sailed  from  Liverpool,  but 
the  vessel  was  detained  in  Queenstown  harbor  for  re- 
pairs until  the  25th.  After  a  stormy  and  tedious  pas- 
sage across  the  Atlantic  they  reached  New  York  on  the 
4th  of  June.  So  ended  their  eventful  journey  of  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  days  from  Bombay. 

Nearly  thirteen  years  had  passed  since  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Parker  had  seen  their  relatives  in  Vermont,  yet  on  ar- 
riving at  New  York  ten  days  were  given  to  mission 
affairs  before  Mr.  Parker  went  to  St.  Johnsbury.  His 
diary  has  this  significant  entry,  "Worked  in  New  York 
all  week,  and  found  enough  to  do."  He  had  two  serv- 
ices on  his  first  Sunday  on  shore;  Monday  morning  he 
addressed  the  Preachers'  Meeting  and  in  the  afternoon 
took  the  train  for  Waterford,  to  see  a  missionary  candi- 
date. The  next  day  he  was  at  Mechanicsville,  calling 
on  the  presiding  elder,  who  gave  him  the  name  of  two 
more  possible  missionary  candidates.  On  Wednesday  he 

reached  Chazy,  hoping  to  find  there  a  man  for  India. 

196 


A  MISSIONARY'S  HOLIDAY 

His  man  was  not  at  home,  and  Mr.  Parker  called  on 
the  village  doctor,  who  told  him  his  man  had  poor 
health  and  should  not  be  sent  to  India.  At  last,  on  the 
I4th  of  June,  he  took  the  train  for  St.  Johnsbury,  and 
on  the  afternoon  of  that  day  relatives  and  friends  met 
him  at  the  railway  station. 

This  record  of  Mr.  Parker's  first  ten  days  in  Amer- 
ica is  a  fair  sample  of  the  way  he  spent  his  furlough, 
from  June  4,  1883,  to  October,  1884,  at  which  time  he 
and  Mrs.  Parker  for  the  third  time  left  America  for 
India.  The  following  memorandum  tells  how  he  was 
occupied : 

During  winter  of  1883-84  lectured  many  times  with 
magic  lantern,  representing  and  explaining  Indian  life 
and  mission  work.  Spoke  at  a  number  of  Conference 
missionary  anniversaries  and  at  General  Missionary 
Committee  anniversary.  Was  at  Baltimore  with  Dr. 
Goucher,  completing  plan  for  "Goucher  Schools"  in 
India.  Spoke  at  Conference  missionary  anniversary 
in  Washington.  W.  F.  M.  S.  work  took  much  time. 
In  the  summer  of  1884  spoke  at  eight  camp  meetings 
in  New  England. 

His  diary  records  visits  to  places  as  distant  from 
each  other  as  Martha's  Vineyard,  Mass.,  and  Beloit, 
Wis. ;  Evanston,  111. ;  Wheeling,  W.  Va. ;  Pittsburg  and 
Newcastle,  Pa.,  were  visited.  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  the 
residence  of  Mr.  Parker's  missionary  colleague,  J.  T. 
Gracey,  was  frequently  visited,  and  judging  from  an 
entry  in  Mr.  Parker's  journal,  dated  September  16, 
1883,  the  Rochester  people  cannot  be  accused  of  neg- 
lecting to  utilize  the  services  of  returned  missionaries : 
"Spoke  at  First  Church  in  the  morning,  Cornhill  Sun- 
day school  at  noon,  City  Mission  at  three,  and  Asbury 
at  half  past  seven." 

197 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

In  January,  1884,  the  North  India  Conference  elected 
Mr.  Parker  delegate  to  the  General  Conference,  Ram 
Chandra  Bose  being  lay  delegate.  "Provision  for  or- 
ganization of  Central  Conferences  in  foreign  mission 
fields,"  "Rules  for  the  administration  of  the  Woman's 
Foreign  Missionary  Society,"  and  "Placing  an  episcopal 
residence  in  India"  were  the  measures  which  Mr.  Par- 
ker made  it  his  especial  care  to  get  through  the  Confer- 
ence. His  work  in  connection  with  the  first  and  second 
measures  has  been  already  recorded  in  this  memoir. 
The  General  Conference  action  in  the  premises  was  not 
only  a  wise  arrangement  for  maintaining  the  unity  and 
peace  and  prosperity  of  the  Church  in  her  foreign  mis- 
sion fields;  it  was  also  in  no  small  degree  a  personal 
victory  for  Mr.  Parker  himself.  The  General  Confer- 
ence, however,  refused  to  adopt  the  report  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Missions  which  "recommended  that  an  epis- 
copal residence  be  placed  in  India."  The  debate  on  the 
adoption  of  this  report  was  enlivened  by  speeches  from 
the  two  delegates  from  North  India,  who  took  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  question,  Mr.  Parker  advocating  and 
Mr.  Bose  opposing  the  measure.  Mr.  Bose  urged  that 
he  himself,  being  a  native  of  India,  should  be  heard  as 
the  true  representative  of  the  native  Christian  com- 
munity, and  that  the  native  Christians  preferred  exist- 
ing arrangements — according  to  which  general  super- 
intendents from  America  visited  the  India  Missions 
periodically.  Mr.  Parker  urged  that  he  himself  was  in 
closer  touch  with  the  native  churches  than  Mr.  Bose, 
that  he  knew  what  they  wanted,  and  that  they  desired 
an  episcopal  residence  in  India.  Mr.  Bose's  remarks 
strengthened  the  opposition  to  the  measure,  and  the 

committee's  report  was  not  adopted.    Later  in  the  ses- 

108 


A  MISSIONARY'S  HOLIDAY 

sion  William  Taylor's  election  as  Missionary  Bishop 
for  Africa  indicated  a  disposition  to  return  to  the  for- 
mer system  of  missionary  bishops,  and  prepared  the 
way  for  a  movement  which  resulted  in  the  election  of 
J.  M.  Thoburn  as  Missionary  Bishop  for  India  in  1888. 
Mr.  Parker  spent  three  months  following  the  ad- 
journment of  the  General  Conference  in  much  the  same 
way  as  he  had  the  preceding  months  of  his  American 
vacation.  The  missionary's  holiday  was  now  drawing 
to  a  close,  and  preparations  were  made  for  returning  to 
India.  The  sea  voyage  and  sight-seeing  of  1883,  the 
frequent  change  of  residence  in  America,  the  bracing 
American  winter  weather,  the  freedom  from  the  con- 
stant pressure  of  heavy  responsibility,  and  all  the  stimu- 
lating and  exhilarating  influences  of  the  home  life  had 
brought  great  improvement  in  the  health  of  both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Parker,  which  was  quite  poor  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  holiday.  On  the  2Oth  of  September,  1884, 
they  sailed  from  New  York,  and  traveling  via  Liver- 
pool and  Gibraltar  they  reached  Bombay  October  31, 
thus  making  the  whole  journey  by  sea  in  forty  days. 
The  missionary  party  with  whom  they  sailed  was  a 
large  one.  There  were  two  missionaries,  five  wives  of 
missionaries,  six  children,  and  seven  missionaries  of 
the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  The  size 
and  composition  of  this  missionary  company  shows 
how  much  the  missionary  effort  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  had  widened,  and  also  that  women  were 
outnumbering  men  as  missionaries  of  the  Church.  Ar- 
riving in  India  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  proceeded  at  once 
to  their  old  home,  and  during  the  remaining  two 
months  of  the  year  took  an  active  share  in  the  various 
departments  of  mission  work  in  and  about  Moradabad. 

199 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  II. — AMONG  THE  LOWLY 

RETURNING  to  India  at  the  close  of  1884  Mr.  Parker 
was  present  at  the  Bareilly  Conference  of  January  7-12, 
1885,  Bishop  Hurst  presiding.  At  this  Conference 
Mr.  Parker  was  elected  Corresponding  Secretary,  an 
office  he  had  previously  held,  and  to  which  he  was  from 
this  time  annually  reelected  until  his  election  as  dele- 
gate to  the  General  Conference  in  1892.  This  officer 
is  the  regular  channel  of  communication  between  the 
Conference  and  the  Missionary  Society,  and  as  he  is 
also  secretary  of  the  Finance  Committee  the  duties  of 
the  office  are  responsible  and  at  times  very  heavy.  Mr. 
Parker  was  also  appointed  chairman  of  a  committee 
of  North  India  Conference  men  who,  together  with  a 
similar  committee  from  the  South  India  Conference, 
were  to  prepare  an  order  of  business  for  the  first  session 
of  the  Central  Conference,  which  was  to  be  held  under 
the  presidency  of  Bishop  Hurst  immediately  after  the 
adjournment  of  the  Annual  Conference. 

During  Mr.  Parker's  absence  the  Rohilkhand  Dis- 
trict was  in  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  D.  W.  Thomas ;  on 
his  return  he  once  more  became  its  presiding  elder, 
holding  the  appointment  until  January,  1890,  when  he 
was  made  Conference  evangelist.  The  following  ex- 
tract from  the  report  of  Mr.  Thomas  for  1884  will 
show  the  responsible  character  of  the  place  now  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  Parker: 

I  am  impressed  more  and  more  with  the  magnitude 
of  the  work  and  weight  of  responsibility  of  those  in 
charge.  It  will  be  seen  from  the  accompanying  statis- 

200 


AMONG  THE  LOWLY 

tics  that  on  this  one  district  there  are  6  foreign  mission- 
aries and  4  assistant  missionaries  of  the  parent  society, 
and  5  foreign  missionaries  of  the  Woman's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society.  There  are  16  ordained  native 
preachers  and  50  unordained,  46  exhorters  or  helpers, 
and  235  native  teachers,  all  connected  with  the  parent 
society;  in  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
there  are  138  assistants  and  teachers.  There  are  222 
day  schools,  with  5,254  scholars ;  233  Sunday  schools, 
with  8,520  scholars;  there  is  a  boys'  orphanage  of  158 
and  a  girls'  orphanage  of  282 ;  a  theological  seminary 
with  30  students,  and  a  normal  school  with  30  in  at- 
tendance; also  3  boarding  schools  for  girls,  having 
about  250  pupils.  There  are  60  primary  schools  sup- 
ported by  Dr.  J.  F.  Goucher,  and  in  the  Moradabad 
school  34  poor  boys  supported  by  Dr.  Goucher.  This 
same  gentleman  has  this  year  given  3,000  rupees  to- 
ward the  purchase  of  land  and  erection  of  dormitories 
for  the  100  poor  boys  whom  he  proposes  to  support  in 
our  Moradabad  High  School.  Several  boys  and  young 
men  belonging  to  the  Goucher  schools  have  been  con- 
verted this  year,  and  others  are  hopeful  inquirers. 

Turning  back  two  years,  to  the  minutes  of  the  Con- 
ference of  1883,  there  is  the  record  that  "E.  W.  Parker 
presented  a  communication  from  the  Rev.  J.  F. 
Goucher,  of  Baltimore,  U.  S.  A.,  proposing  to  estab- 
lish fifty  village  schools  and  to  endow  one  hundred 
special  scholarships  in  the  Mission."  The  Conference 
gladly  listened  to  this  generous  communication,  ap- 
proved the  plan  proposed,  and  promised  to  do  all  they 
could  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  same.  Mr. 
Parker  had  been  for  some  time  previous  in  correspond- 
ence with  Dr.  Goucher  and  had  visited  him  at  Balti- 
more, where  the  whole  scheme  was  fully  discussed. 
Meanwhile  the  schools  were  opened  with  success,  as  is 
shown  by  Elder  Thomas's  report.  During  the  next 


201 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

sixteen  years  the  Goucher  schools  occupied  a  large  place 
in  the  life  of  Dr.  Parker.  He  made  many  plans  for  in- 
creasing their  efficiency.  While  the  liberality  of  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Goucher  alone  made  this  enterprise  possible, 
it  must  be  placed  on  record  that  Dr.  Parker  was  their 
very  efficient  colaborer. 

There  were  seventeen  circuits  on  the  Rohilkhand 
District,  which  gave  the  presiding  elder  a  little  over  one 
Quarterly  Conference  per  week.  But  holding  Quar- 
terly Conferences  was  a  very  small  fraction  of  his 
work.  He  was  village  evangelist  throughout  the  whole 
district,  inspector  of  schools,  advisor  and  director  of 
hundreds  of  mission  agents,  preachers,  and  teachers 
now  scattered  far  and  wide  over  the  almost  intermin- 
able plains  of  Rohilkhand.  He  was  referee  in  the  trou- 
bles and  disputes  of  the  people.  In  one  place  an  ejected 
tenant  farmer  came  to  him  for  help ;  in  another  he  had 
to  settle  a  marriage  dispute.  Here  a  preacher  brought 
complaint  that  some  of  the  Christians  had  been  guilty 
of  idolatrous  practices ;  there  it  was  an  appeal  for  help 
in  securing  privilege  to  use  the  public  wells  or  in  get- 
ting a  plot  of  ground  for  the  burial  of  their  dead. 
There  were  inquirers  to  be  dealt  with,  opposers  to  be 
conciliated,  new  openings  for  work  to  be  provided 
for,  new  schools  to  be  opened  and  teachers  appointed. 
There  were  consultations  with  missionaries,  plans  for 
regulating  or  directing  work  that  could  not  be  kept 
from  spreading  beyond  fixed  boundaries,  discussions 
of  mission  policy  and  administration,  correspondence 
with  missionary  secretaries  and  bishops  and  friends  of 
the  Mission  in  America  and  England,  letters  to  the 
home  papers,  and  defense  or  explanation  of  mission 

affairs  in  the  Indian  press.    And  with  all  this  were  the 

202 


AMONG  THE  LOWLY 

financial  details  connected  with  the  payment  of  hun- 
dreds of  mission  agents  on  the  district,  all  of  whom,  in 
one  form  or  another,  required  the  attention  of  the  pre- 
siding elder.  It  is  not  strange  that  wherever  he  made 
his  temporary  home,  whether  in  his  tent  in  a  village 
grove,  or  in  the  house  of  a  brother  missionary,  or  in  a 
railway  waiting  room,  or  in  his  own  home  at  Morad- 
abad,  he  always  found  "plenty  of  work  to  do." 

Rohilkhand  is  an  alluvial  plain  crossed  by  many 
water  courses  subject  to  freshets.  In  all  Mr.  Parker's 
district  not  a  stone  is  found  except  such  as  have  been 
brought  thither  by  man's  hand.  The  roads  leading 
from  village  to  village,  along  which  the  missionary 
must  pass  if  he  faithfully  performs  his  duty,  are  for  the 
most  part  mere  trails  made  by  ox  carts;  nine  months 
of  the  year  deep  in  dust,  the  remaining  three  months 
rivers  of  mud.  There  is  nothing  very  inspiring  in  this 
weary  plodding,  through  heat  or  rain  or  cold  driving 
slowly  from  village  to  village  along  such  roads.  Noth- 
ing short  of  genuine  love  for  the  souls  of  men  and  gen- 
uine interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  simple  village  people 
and  sincere  devotion  to  the  service  of  Christ  can  inspire 
and  sustain  a  man  in  such  service  of  drudgery.  That 
Mr.  Parker  worked  at  this  for  so  many  years,  with  so 
much  faithfulness  and  even  zest,  is  the  best  proof  possi- 
ble that  his  whole  heart  was  in  this  cause,  and  that  he 
was  a  genuine  missionary,  bearing  a  message  from 
Christ. 

If  Mr.  Parker's  itinerary  had  led  him  to  historic 
places  in  which  all  men  are  interested,  and  whose  geo- 
graphical position  is  well  known,  the  record  of  his  work- 
would  be  an  intelligible  and  perhaps  an  interesting 

story.     But  Aonla,  Pilibheet,  Kherabajhera,  Bilsi,  Bi- 

203 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

sauli,  Mandawar,  Nagina,  Bashta,  etc.,  etc.,  are  mere- 
ly names,  unmeaning  and  some  of  them  unpronounce- 
able for  most  readers,  and  it  would  be  unwise  to  ask 
them  to  follow  Mr.  Parker  as  he  goes  from  place  to 
place,  his  magic  lantern  under  his  buggy  seat,  driving 
his  faithful  ponies  over  or  through  the  heavy  roads. 
Yet  such  was  a  large  portion  of  his  life  during  the  years 
1865-1890,  and  again  from  1896  to  1900;  and  some 
records  of  these  journeyings  must  be  given  or  this 
memoir  will  signally  fail  in  its  attempt  to  portray  the 
life  and  work  of  its  subject.  The  story  begins  some- 
where in  his  first  tour  in  1885  : 

Feb.  4.  Drove  from  Chandausi  to  Mausampur. 
Pony  did  well.  Mud  and  water  from  Kundarki.  Had 
a  nice  service,  with  pictures.  Good  feeling  at  service. 
Indirect  testimony  to  the  Scriptures. 

Feb.  5.  Came  on  to  Bilari.  Held  a  service  in  the 
morning  with  the  Christians.  Helped  a  man  who  is 
laid  up  with  sore  eyes.  Baptized  a  man,  who  is  a  wid- 
ower, and  his  two  children.  Came  on  to  Haraura. 
Mud,  water,  and  rough  roads.  Mare  did  grandly. 

Feb.  6.  Drove  in  from  Haraura  to  Chandausi. 
Rain  all  the  way.  Examined  schools  and  other  work. 
Went  by  rail  to  Moradabad  for  Saturday's  work.  Good 
meeting  at  Moradabad.  Revival  work. 

Feb.  7.  Had  meeting  with  all  the  teachers.  Set 
them  at  work  on  their  studies  and  talked  with  them  on 
teaching.  Returned  to  Chandausi. 

Feb.  8.  Good  time  in  Sunday  school.  Was  dis- 
turbed by  people  coming  to  measure  the  land  we  are 
getting  for  mission  premises.  Tried  to  settle  the  mat- 
ter once  for  all. 

Feb.  9.  Tried  to  settle  the  land  boundary.  Arranged 
work  for  new  building  at  Islamnagar.  Came  on  to 
Chandausi.  Had  meeting  at  night,  with  lantern,  in  the 
home  of  the  Christians.  Wrote  to  Dr.  Goucher. 

204 


AMONG  THE  LOWLY 

Feb.  10.  Had  a  meeting  with  the  Christians. 
Preached  on  "New  Heart."  Examined  school;  had  a 
good  time  last  evening  with  Christians.  Came  on  to 
Islamnagar  with  Antone  Dutt.  Wrote  letters  about 
Quarterly  Conference.  Visited  Islamnagar  school  and 
preached  a  little  sermon.  After  dinner  drove  to  Mau 
and  saw  school  and  people.  A  few  Christians  here.  At 
evening  had  service,  with  pictures.  But  it  was  the 
worst  failure  I  ever  had — too  many  people  and  too 
much  noise. 

Feb.  ii.  Went  on  via  Mundiya  to  Bisauli.  In- 
spected Mundiya  school  and  preached  there.  Met 
Brother  Neeld  at  Mundiya.  Saw  Bhurtpura  school 
and  preached  there.  At  Bisauli  stopped  in  Brother 
Neeld's  tent,  as  mine  had  gone  on  to  Birauliya.  Ex- 
amined Bisauli  school  and  afterward  had  a  long  talk 
with  some  Aryas.  Twenty  miles'  ride. 

Feb.  12.  To-day  moved  on  to  Birauliya.  Good 
school  here.  Preached  three  times  to-day  and  had 
grand  good  time  at  evening,  with  pictures.  Large  quiet 
crowd  in  the  house  of  a  zamindar  (landowner). 

This  brief  outline  of  nine  days'  work,  taken  at  ran- 
dom from  Mr.  Parker's  journal,  is  probably  dull  read- 
ing for  some  folk.  And  it  would  not  be  strange  if  they 
should  think  it  very  uninteresting  and  monotonous  to 
actually  live  such  a  life  and  perform  such  service  as  this 
journal  records.  There  is,  truly,  nothing  romantic 
about  such  work,  and  unless  one  is  really  interested  it 
is  simply  impossible  to  keep  at  it  for  weeks  and  months 
together. 

Mr.  Parker's  appreciative  notice  of  the  way  his 
horses  did  their  work  is  as  characteristic  of  the  man  as 
other  items  of  the  record  are.  He  had  returned  to  the 
district  after  a  two  years'  absence  and  had  purchased 

new  horses.     He  was  giving  them  their  first  trial  on 

205 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

this  round.  That  he  was  satisfied  with  their  work 
shows  that  he  knew  how  to  select  a  good  horse,  and 
he  was  disposed  to  take  pride  in  his  choice.  Many  en- 
tries in  his  journal  give  praise  to  these  humble  fellow- 
workers,  and  among  them  is  one  of  a  pathetic  tone  in 
which  he  records  that,  on  arriving  at  a  place  where  he 
was  to  change  horses,  his  faithful  Charlie,  who  was  to 
have  taken  him  on  the  next  stage,  was  found  stretched 
lifeless  on  the  ground. 

Another  feature  of  these  entries  is  the  number  of 
times  he  takes  the  trouble  to  record  that  he  "had  a  good 
time."  All  his  life  through  he  seemed  to  be  having 
"good  times."  When,  a  few  hours  after  the  physician 
had  pronounced  his  patient's  case  hopeless,  the  writer 
of  this  memoir  sat  down  by  the  bedside  of  Bishop  Par- 
ker in  Lucknow  it  was  this  characteristic  remark  of 
the  dying  man  that  came  to  his  lips,  and  all  he  could 
say  was,  "Well,  you  have  had  a  good  time ;"  and  from 
the  sick  bed  came  the  assenting  response  with  thankful 
triumph.  He  had  indeed  had  a  good  time  because  his 
whole  heart  was  in  his  work.  He  enjoyed  preaching 
the  Gospel  to  a  handful  of  villagers — and  in  this  re- 
spect was  like  his  Master,  who  thought  it  not  waste  to 
tell  the  story  of  living  water  to  a  single  listener.  This 
itinerant  evangelistic  work  was  the  ground  color  of  Mr. 
Parker's  missionary  career  on  which  were  projected 
the  more  public  and  prominent  events  of  his  life.  The 
annual  reports  of  the  district,  together  with  the  pub- 
lished minutes  of  the  North  India  Conference  sessions, 
help  fill  out  the  picture.  Concerning  the  year  1885  he 
writes  that  "The  most  fruitful  work  of  the  year  has 
been  that  of  the  primary  schools  in  the  city  wards  and 

villages."    He  was  also  much  occupied  in  building  dur- 

206 


AMONG  THE  LOWLY 

ing  the  latter  part  of  the  year.  The  Moradabad  city 
church  hall  was  enlarged  by  adding  wings,  and  the 
Moradabad  Girls'  School  buildings  were  commenced. 
The  work  of  planning  and  supervising  had  to  be  done 
by  the  missionary  himself. 

The  report  for  1886  begins  with  these  words:  "If 
we  look  at  the  evangelistic  work  done  in  this  province 
we  see  enough  to  give  the  workers  encouragement  and 
joy;  but  if  we  look  at  the  great  work  still  left  undone 
we  have  a  dark,  sad  picture.  In  this  report  we  have  to 
do  with  the  progress  made  and  the  field  gained,  rather 
than  with  that  we  have  not  yet  been  able  to  accom- 
plish." It  was  Mr.  Parker's  happy  faculty  of  seeing 
always  the  progress  attained  which  made  him  such  a 
hopeful  and  enthusiastic  missionary.  In  this  report 
Mr.  Parker  describes  the  work  carried  on  by  the  three 
hundred  and  forty-seven  paid  mission  agents  on  the 
district,  occupying  one  hundred  different  towns  and 
villages  as  centers.  About  eighty  of  the  teachers  re- 
ferred to  were  supported  by  Dr.  Goucher : 

Our  plan  of  operations  places  an  experienced  native 
preacher  in  some  important  center,  and  he  opens  little 
schools,  under  Christian  teachers,  in  the  surrounding 
villages  within  a  radius  of  four  or  five  miles;  the  teach- 
ers also  acting  as  evangelists.  These  schools  are  under 
the  direct  supervision  of  the  native  preacher,  and  a 
number  of  these  centers  combined  are  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  missionary.  These  little  centers  are  fast  in- 
creasing, and  most  of  these  small  circles  or  circuits  have 
from  twenty  to  fifty  villages  in  which  Christians  now 
reside.  Our  Christian  community  now  numbers  5,396, 
and  our  schools  contain  1,757  Christian  pupils.  At 
the  Chandausi  camp  meeting  this  year  over  500  school 
children  were  present. 

207 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

The  reopening  of  the  enlarged  city  church  hall  and 
the  dedication  of  the  girls'  school  building  were  the 
two  great  events  of  the  year  in  Moradabad.  In  the 
former  no  less  than  twelve  hundred  persons  crowded 
into  the  city  church  hall,  though  seated  for  seven  hun- 
dred only,  and  in  the  girls'  building  five  hundred 
women  and  girls,  Christian  and  non-Christian,  at- 
tended a  service  conducted  entirely  by  women,  no  men 
being  present.  In  his  report  for  1887  the  presiding 
elder  makes  special  reference  to  progress  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Goucher  school  scheme : 

The  Central  School  has  been  raised  to  the  high 
school  grade,  and  a  good  staff  of  teachers  are  doing 
efficient  work  under  Dr.  Butcher's  charge.  The  board- 
ing house  contains  about  one  hundred  Christian  boys, 
promoted  from  the  small  schools  in  Rohilkhand.  These 
small  schools  are  affiliated  with  the  Central  High 
School,  and  the  friend  in  America  who  supports  these 
small  schools  gives  scholarships  to  these  boys  in  the 
boarding  house.  The  plan  is  to  select  only  the  bright- 
est boys  from  these  schools  for  scholarships.  There 
are  now  one  hundred  and  fifty  Christian  boys  in  the 
Central  School  being  trained  for  future  work  as  preach- 
ers, teachers,  and  business  men. 

The  plan  was  wise  and  most  promising,  and  to  its 
realization  Mr.  Parker  gave  a  large  part  of  his  time 
and  energy.  If  results  have  come  in  any  degree  short 
of  expectations  the  reason  is  found  in  failure  to  work 
strictly  according  to  the  specified  plan.  During  the 
years  under  review  the  work  in  the  Rohilkhand  District 
showed  a  decided  tendency  to  advance  beyond  the 
boundaries  laid  down.  The  native  preachers  and  peo- 
ple in  Budaun  had  family  connections  across  the 

Ganges,  which  was  the  boundary  of  the  district  and  of 

208 


AMONG  THE  LOWLY 

the  North  India  Conference  at  that  place.  Little  com- 
panies of  Christians  began  to  appear,  and  during  the 
year  1877  this  movement  had  so  developed  that  in  the 
appointments  of  1888  the  Rohilkhand  District  included 
the  trans-Ganges  Circuit  of  Kasganj,  with  Hasan 
Raza  Khan  as  preacher  in  charge.  In  the  same  list  of 
appointments  Agra  and  Muttra  also  appear  among  the 
circuits  of  the  Rohilkhand  District.  This  enlargement 
of  the  district  was  in  keeping  with  the  growing  influ- 
ence of  the  presiding  elder.  In  the  year  1886  the  late 
Rev.  Dennis  Osborne,  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Alla- 
habad District  in  the  South  India  Conference,  felt 
strongly  impressed  that  Muttra  should  be  opened  as  a 
mission  station.  Bishop  Ninde,  presiding  at  the  South 
India  Conference  session  of  February,  1887,  approved 
the  plan,  and,  the  name  of  the  Allahabad  District  being 
changed  to  Mussoorie  District,  Muttra  was  put  down 
in  the  list  of  appointments  "to  be  supplied."  The  same 
year  at  the  Central  Conference  the  readjustment  of 
boundaries  of  the  North  India  and  South  India  Con- 
ferences brought  Agra  and  Muttra  within  the  North 
India  Conference  territory,  and  at  the  next  session  of 
the  North  India  Conference  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Scott  was 
appointed  preacher  in  charge  of  Muttra,  now  made  a 
circuit  of  the  Rohilkhand  District. 

In  regard  to  the  question  of  making  Muttra  a  mis- 
sion station  Dr.  J.  E.  Scott  writes  that  "Dr.  Parker 
favored  the  enterprise.  I  presume  if  he  had  not  fa- 
vored it  there  would  have  been  no  Muttra  Mission. 
He  did  favor  it,  help  from  every  side  came  in,  and 
the  work  went  forward."  For  him  to  "favor"  any 
enterprise  meant  also  that  he  helped  it  on.  He  was 
himself  one  of  those  reservoirs  of  power  who  appar- 

(14)  209 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

ently  could  never  rest  satisfied  with  merely  wishing 
well  to  any  undertaking.  In  the  following  short  para- 
graph Dr.  J.  E.  Scott  tells  how  Dr.  Parker  helped  in 
opening  the  Muttra  Mission : 

During  the  two  years  Muttra  remained  under  his 
charge  as  presiding  elder  he  displayed  that  wonderful 
energy  and  foresight  which  made  him  the  great  mis- 
sionary he  was.  He  gave  his  hearty  approval  to  all 
efforts  of  the  preacher  in  charge  to  build  up  the  work. 
He  gave  a  loan  from  his  own  funds  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  a  mission  house,  and  anticipated  the  sanction  of 
the  Finance  Committee  in  directing  the  missionary  to 
push  forward  the  work.  He  advised  W.  E.  Blackstone, 
Esq.,  of  Oak  Park,  Chicago,  to  found  a  deaconess 
home  and  training  school  at  Muttra,  and  the  main 
buildings  were  completed  during  his  administration. 
He  took  a  deep  interest  in  finding  a  site  for  Flora  Hall, 
and  was  present  at  the  great  Krishna  car  festival  at 
Brindaban  both  years.  He  was  a  great  worker;  be- 
lieved in  things  and  brought  things  to  pass.  His 
encouragement  largely  helped  make  Muttra  what  it 
became. 

After  thirteen  years  at  Muttra  Dr.  J.  E.  Scott,  on 
leaving  for  A j mere,  was  able  to  report  that  nearly  two 
lakhs  of  rupees  of  mission  property  and  ten  thousand 
Christians  were  the  visible  results  of  opening  the  Mut- 
tra Mission.  The  grand  results  of  this  Muttra  enter- 
prise invest  with  peculiar  interest  Dr.  Parker's  own  ac- 
count of  the  beginning  of  this  work.  Agra  and  Muttra 
were  both  in  his  district,  and  the  following  extracts 
from  his  diary  tell  of  his  connection  with  important 
events  at  both  cities : 

Jan.  17,  1888.  Started  for  Agra  at  9  A.  M.  At 
Chandausi  met  Dr.  T.  J.  Scott,  also  going  to  Agra. 


2IO 


AMONG  THE  LOWLY 

After  a  pleasant  journey  we  reached  Agra  and  were 
met  by  Brother  Clancy.  Dr.  Johnson  was  also  there. 
Our  object  was  to  select  site  for  a  church  and  fix  upon 
a  plan  for  the  building.  I  had  invited  Drs.  Scott  and 
Johnson  to  meet  me  at  Agra  and  talk  it  over. 

Jan.  1 8.  This  morning  Brother  J.  E,  Scott  came  in 
on  his  way  to  Muttra.  We  settled  on  site  and  plan  for 
the  Agra  church ;  staked  out  the  ground  and  arranged 
for  the  work  to  go  on.  At  evening*  attended  a  station 
prayer  meeting  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Valentine.. 

Jan.  19.  This  morning  started  for  Muttra,  arriving 
about  noon.  After  lunch  at  the  dak  bungalow  went 
out  to  see  the  city  and  select  a  location  for  future  work 
and,  if  possible,  hire  a  house  for  Brother  Scott's  resi- 
dence. We  selected  what  we  think  is  the  best  location, 
hired  half  a  house  for  Brother  Scott,  and  went  all 
through  the  city.  Our  whole  party  were  pleased  with 
what  we  saw  and  thankful  that  we  had  come.  It  does 
seem  as  though  a  divine  hand  were  leading  us  in  this 
work  here  at  Muttra.  I  never  felt  more  sure  that  God 
leads  than  I  now  feel  in  this  matter  of  entering  Muttra. 
To-morrow  we  go  to  Brindaban. 

Jan.  20.  Visited  Brindaban  with  Brothers  T.  J. 
Scott,  J.  E.  Scott,  and  J.  T.  McMahon.  Visited  the 
new  temple  being  built  by  the  Maharajah  of  Jeypore, 
also  the  very  large  one  at  Brindaban  with  an  endow- 
ment of  more  than  one  hundred  rupees  a  day.  Visited 
the  owner  of  the  house  we  wished  to  hire  and,  returning 
to  Muttra  dak  bungalow,  next  morning  took  train  for 
Moradabad. 

The  history  of  the  Muttra  Mission  justifies  the  belief 
that  God  was  leading  the  men  who  first  suggested  and 
also  those  who  planned  and  carried  out  the  work.  But 
at  its  very  beginning  Dr.  Parker,  as  he  says,  was  firmly 
convinced  that  God  was  leading.  This  feeling  was  not 
limited  to  Muttra  work,  but  in  greater  or  less  degree 
was  present  in  all  his  plans  and  labors.  Those  who 


211 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

would  correctly  analyze  the  character  of  this  mission- 
ary, and  correctly  estimate  the  quality  of  his  work  and 
account  for  his  success,  must  never  lose  sight  of  this 
characteristic ;  he  was  strong  and  hopeful  and  intensely 
earnest,  and  maintained  a  good  conscience  in  all  things 
because  he  was  profoundly  convinced  that  he  was  doing 
just  what  God  would  have  him  do.  Such  a  conviction, 
balanced  by  a  large  endowment  of  practical  common 
sense,  generally  makes  its  possessor  invincible. 


212 


A  WORKMAN  NOT  ASHAMED 


CHAPTER  III. — A  WORKMAN  NOT  ASHAMED 

IN  this  story  of  a  missionary's  life  and  work  it  is 
necessary  not  only  to  tell  what  he  did  but  to  record  his 
own  opinion  of  his  work,  for  confidence  in  one's  own 
efforts  and  some  expectation  of  success  are  essential  to 
efficiency  in  all  fields  of  human  activity.  Extracts  from 
Air.  Parker's  journal  and  quotations  from  his  letters 
are  valuable  because  they  not  only  show  what  he  did 
but  also  what  he  thought  of  it.  He  put  all  his  heart 
into  his  work,  and  he  believed  in  his  work  with  all  his 
heart.  He  honestly  believed  his  work  was  prosperous, 
and  he  fully  expected  the  triumph  of  the  cause.  All 
missionaries  cannot  follow  him  in  this  particular.  Some 
there  are  who  honestly  believe  that  the  cause  is  making 
very  little  real  progress,  and  they  cannot  see  how  it  is 
to  succeed.  To  their  vision  the  way  seems  hedged  up. 
Whether  such  men  are  correct  or  those  who  feel  as  Mr. 
Parker  did  is  not  a  question  for  discussion  in  these 
pages.  The  missionary  who  can  honestly  look  upon 
his  own  work  as  Mr.  Parker  looked  on  his,  and  can 
hope  for  success  as  Mr.  Parker  always  did,  gives  him- 
self the  better  chance  and  will  be  the  more  effective. 
The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Mr. 
Parker  in  1884  shows  the  enthusiastic  confidence  with 
which  he  contemplated  the  work  of  his  own  district : 

Note  a  few  facts  that  make  us  confident  of  great 
success  in  the  Rohilkhand  District : 

i.  There  are  about  ninety  regularly  appointed 
preachers  and  Christian  teachers  giving  their  entire 
time  to  the  work. 

213 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

2.  The  ladies'  missionary  society  have  just  about 
as  many  native  female  workers  laboring  among  the 
women  and  girls. 

3.  We  have  already  a  church  of  2,500  communi- 
cants, a  very  large  proportion  of  whom  are  more  or  less 
educated  and  are  helpers  in  all  our  work. 

4.  There  are  in  our  3  orphan  schools  500  girls  and 
boys  being  prepared  for  various  kinds  of  work  and  use- 
fulness by  being  well  educated  and  by  being  taught 
some  kind  of  a  trade.   In  our  boarding  schools  for  girls 
there  are  230  Christian  girls  being  well  educated,  and 
in  a  different  boys'  school  there  are  about  the  same 
number  of  Christian  boys. 

5.  We  have,  besides  these,  more  than  3,000  boys  and 
girls  in  our  day  schools  who  are  being  daily  trained  and 
drilled  in  Christian  truth  and  prepared  for  future  use- 
fulness.    In  these  children  we  have  a  mortgage  on 
heathenism,  and  we  will  foreclose  one  of  these  days. 

6.  In  this  district  there  are  174  Sunday  schools,  with 
7,500  pupils  in  them,  including  most  of  the  4,000  chil- 
dren of  our  day  schools,  thus  bringing  all  of  our  non- 
Christian  pupils  in  our  schools  into  a  closer  connection 
with  us  and  our  forms  of  worship,  and  making  it  easy 
for  them  to  come  to  our  other  services. 

7.  We  have  openings  into  certain  castes  from  which 
we  have  secured  many  of  the  leaders  already,  and  in 
which  all  the  priests  and  multitudes  of  the  people  are 
discussing  and  inquiring  concerning  this   wonderful 
religion  that  saves  from  sin.     In  one  of  these  classes 
there  are  500,000  people  in  this  district,  and  they  are 
separate  from  other  Hindus  in  their  religion,  and  hence 
everywhere  inclined  toward   Christianity.      Some  of 
their  old  priests  are  Christian  workers  among  their  old 
followers,  teaching  them  and  leading  them  to  Christ. 
This  seems  a  wonderful  opening,  for  not  in  one  place 
only  has  the  work  commenced,  but  at  various  points 
all  through  our  district,  200  miles  long,  there  are  little 
classes  of  these  people,  and  little  schools  for  their  chil- 
dren, where  all  the  people  are  faithfully  taught  by  the 

214 


A  WORKMAN  NOT  ASHAMED 

school-teacher,  who  is  usually  a  convert  from  their  own 
caste.  The  call  for  teachers  for  this  class  is  very  great, 
and  we  are  everywhere  giving  attention  to  training 
teachers  to  meet  the  demand  of  this  wonderful  work. 
I  once  was  thought  an  enthusiast  for  expecting  to 
see  a  Church  of  10,000  Christians  in  my  time  in  this 
district,  but  now  I  put  the  figures  at  100,000. 

Bishop  Parker  lived  to  see  a  Christian  community  of 
38,053  persons  within  the  bounds  of  the  old  Rohil- 
khand  District.  His  report  for  the  year  1888  sounds 
the  same  note  of  confident  progress : 

Last  year  we  reported  105  different  centers  where 
a  worker  resides,  as  a  teacher  or  evangelist,  or  both. 
This  year  the  returns  show  144  centers.  Last  year  we 
had  Christians  living  in  300  towns  and  villages.  This 
year  the  returns  give  463  villages  in  which  Christians 
live.  The  native  preachers  have  generally  done  very 
good  work.  They  are  growing  every  year  and  becom- 
ing better  and  better  fitted  to  bear  responsibility.  The 
workers  in  this  district  should  expect  to  see  a  Christian 
community  numbering  100,000  within  the  next  twenty- 
five  years.  This  can  be  brought  about  by  faithful  work, 
trusting  in  God,  if  we  will  enter  without  fear  every 
open  door,  whether  it  leads  us  to  the  honored  rich  or  to 
the  despised  poor.  But  with  such  prospects  before  us 
we  must  be  faithful  in  educating  and  training  all  con- 
verts. 

Mr.  Parker  was  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Morad- 
abad  Circuit  as  well  as  superintendent  of  the  district 
during  the  year  1888,  and  in  the  report  of  the  circuit 
he  records  the  formation  of  "A  Young  People's  Chris- 
tian League,"  made  up  for  the  most  part  of  the  teachers 
and  pupils  in  the  two  boarding  schools,  which  had  an 

aggregate  of  two  hundred   and   ninety-three   pupils. 

215 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

This  was  in  advance  of  the  Epworth  League  organiza- 
tion in  America.  When  the  Epworth  League  became 
a  recognized  institution  of  the  Church  Mr.  Parker 
brought  the  Moradabad  Young  People's  Christian 
League  into  line,  and  this  Moradabad  League  has  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  chapter  of  the  Epworth 
League  organized  on  the  continent  of  Asia.  The  story 
of  Mr.  Parker's  work  in  the  year  1888  finds  its  appro- 
priate ending  in  the  following  extracts  from  his  diary : 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  we  had  a  very  good 
watch-night  meeting  in  the  chapel  of  the  girls'  school, 
Moradabad.  The  house  was  well  filled  with  men  and 
women,  boys  and  girls.  From  8 :3<D  to  9  was  spent  in 
singing.  Then  followed  prayer,  Scripture  lessons,  and 
several  short  sermons,  closing  with  class  meeting,  sing- 
ing, and  prayer.  It  was  a  good  meeting.  All  that  I 
have  belongs  to  Jesus  on  this  last  evening  of  the  year 
and  will  always  remain  his.  My  heart  has  been  very 
full  of  praise  to  his  name  for  many  weeks. 

Jan.  i,  1889.  To-day  is  a  happy  New  Year.  We  ar- 
ranged for  our  Christmas  holiday  gathering  to-day. 
Our  city  hall  was  filled,  and  we  had  singing  and  recita- 
tions, review  of  Sunday  school  lessons,  etc.  We  had 
nice  gifts  for  the  people  this  year,  as  many  were  sent 
to  us  from  America.  About  fifteen  hundred,  old  and 
young,  were  present.  Pleasant  family  dinner  in  the 
evening. 

Jan.  2.  Treasury  opened  to-day;  drew  money  from 
bank  and  commenced  on  accounts.  Worked  all  day 
getting  year's  accounts  in  order.  The  circuit  accounts, 
the  district  accounts,  and  the  Goucher  schools  accounts 
must  be  kept  separately,  and  the  three  sets  of  books 
make  much  work. 

Jan.  24.  At  home.  Telegraph  from  Bishop  Fowler 
to  meet  him  at  Agra  the  26th. 

Jan.  28.  Took  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Fowler  to  Muttra 
and  spent  the  day  there.  Went  with  them  to  Brinda- 

216 


A  WORKMAN  NOT  ASHAMED 

ban.     New  mission  house  at  Muttra  nearly  finished. 
Preached,  with  pictures,  at  evening.    Left  for  Delhi. 

The  1 4th  of  February  found  him  at  Lucknow  attend- 
ing a  meeting  of  Christian  College  trustees.  The  pre- 
siding elder  of  Oudh  and  the  principal  of  the  college 
both  wished  to  have  the  college  buildings  erected  at 
once  with  borrowed  funds.  Mr.  Parker  and  others  dis- 
approved of  this  plan,  and  the  matter  was  laid  over  until 
the  July  meeting  of  the  trustees.  Returning  to  Bareilly 
the  afternoon  on  the  train  was  spent  in  writing  letters 
about  an  editor  for  the  Indian  Witness,  to  take  the 
place  of  Dr.  McCoy,  who  had  just  died,  and  letters  re- 
garding the  time  of  holding  the  session  of  the  Central 
Conference.  On  the  29th  of  March  he  was  at  Agra, 
to  assist  in  dedicating  the  new  church  building,  and  his 
diary  notes  with  much  satisfaction  the  great  change 
which  two  years  have  wrought :  "We  came  here  two 
years  ago  and  found  on  our  mission  gatepost  a  notice 
to  sell  us  out.  Now  we  have  a  large  dwelling  house, 
a  good  church  building,  good  dormitories  for  girls,  out- 
houses, etc.,  all  paid  for  except  about  two  thousand 
rupees."  A  few  clays  after  he  held  a  Quarterly  Con- 
ference at  the  Christian  village  of  Panahpur,  and  makes 
note  of  the  fact  that  the  farmers  agreed  to  give  one 
fortieth  of  the  produce  of  their  fields  toward  support  of 
their  pastor.  Stewards  were  appointed  to  collect  the 
same.  But,  alas!  these  promises,  like  many  others  of 
the  same  sort,  were  but  made  to  be  broken.  To  the  last, 
Panahpur  remained  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  presiding 
elder  and  superintending  missionary. 

About  the  middle  of  the  previous  year  Baker  Uni- 
versity had  conferred  the  honorary  title  of  "Doctor  in 

Divinity"  upon  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Rohilkhand 

217 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

District.  It  was  a  little  difficult  at  first  for  men  who 
had  for  twenty  or  thirty  years  familiarly  addressed  him 
as  "Parker"  to  get  used  to  the  new  title.  But  the  dig- 
nity seemed  to  fit  him  so  well  that  soon  he  was  "Dr. 
Parker"  to  all,  and  such  he  will  remain  on  the  pages  of 
this  memoir.  "Bishop"  he  was  indeed  for  years  before 
his  election  to  the  episcopate,  but  he  was  known  and 
loved  as  "Dr.  Parker,"  and  it  is  not  easy  to  write  or 
speak  of  him  by  any  other  name. 

A  few  additional  extracts  from  the  journal  near  the 
close  of  1889  will  help  the  reader  understand  more 
fully  the  varied  and  unremitting  nature  of  the  work 
with  which  his  days  and  often  his  nights  were  occupied : 

Oct.  10,  1889.  Left  Muttra  for  Moradabad.  Came 
to  Hathras  junction  and  waited  three  hours ;  on  to  Ali- 
garh  junction  and  waited  four  hours;  on  to  Chandausi 
junction  and  waited  five  or  six  hours,  reaching  home 
at  6  A.  M.  I  had  gone  to  Muttra  to  see  about  building 
the  dormitories  for  the  girls'  boarding  school.  But 

Miss  S and  I  could  not  agree  on  a  plan.     As  I 

could  not  sleep  at  Chandausi  I  got  up  and  drew  two 
different  plans  of  dormitories  for  Miss  S 's  ap- 
proval, and  hope  to  arrive  at  some  agreement. 

It  would  be  a  slander  on  Indian  railways  to  affirm 
that  the  delays  in  the  journey  from  Muttra  to  Morad- 
abad are  an  ordinary  sample  of  the  facility  with  which 
people  go  from  place  to  place  in  India.  The  timing  of 
the  trains  on  the  three  roads  connecting  Muttra  and 
Moradabad  seems  to  have  been  made  on  the  assump- 
tion that  no  one  will  wish  to  travel  direct  from  one  city 
to  the  other.  It  was  Dr.  Parker's  misfortune  to  be 
obliged  to  travel  that  way  frequently;  with  what  loss 

of  time  and  rest  his  diary  shows.     It  is  to  be  hoped 

218 


A  WORKMAN  NOT  ASHAMED 

Miss  S was  satisfied  at  last.  The  dormitories  cer- 
tainly were  built,  and  no  one  complains  that  they  are 
not  just  what  they  should  be. 

Oct.  15.  Came  to  Bisauli;  from  Moradabad  to 
Chandausi  by  rail;  drove  to  Mundiya,  in  Bisauli  Cir- 
cuit, where  my  tent  was  pitched.  Saw  Bheta  school  on 
the  way.  Poor  school.  Quarterly  Conference  at  3  p.  M., 
followed  by  a  good  meeting.  At  evening  a  large  meet- 
ing, with  lantern  pictures.  Tired  at  night.  Two  teach- 
ers on  the  circuit  had  misbehaved  and  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  investigate  the  matter. 

Oct.  1 6.  Quarterly  Conference  met  again;  commit- 
tee reported  and  the  offenders  were  punished.  One  of 
the  two  was  required  to  send  his  wife  to  school.  Meet- 
ing at  10;  another  meeting,  at  3  p.  M.,  spoiled  by  a  big 
dinner  given  for  all.  There  was  quarreling  over  the 
dinner.  After  eating  they  became  happier,  and  we  had 
a  big  meeting  and  baptized  a  number  of  persons.  Work 
at  this  place  good  generally.  Came  on  to  Bisauli  this 
evening  after  evening  service  at  Mundiya. 

It  is  probable  that  the  dinner  was  given  by  the  mis- 
behaving teachers;  that  the  punishment  awarded  had 
been  that  they  should  feed  the  whole  company.  In 
India  such  punishments  are  often  assigned  to  offenders. 
The  quarreling  about  the  dinner  is  an  outcropping  of 
that  childishness  of  character  which  among  the  sons  of 
the  East  is  so  strangely  joined  with  the  craft  and  cun- 
ning and  astuteness  by  which  foreigners  can  be  made 
the  tools  and  playthings  of  the  oriental.  A  few  ad- 
ditional extracts  from  the  diary  bring  the  record  down 
to  the  end  of  the  year.  Some  of  them  show  how 
arduous  was  Mr.  Parker's  work,  and  to  what  extent 
he  was  often  obliged  to  sacrifice  that  which  to  a  man 

of  his  years  was  essential  to  health,  his  night's  rest : 

219 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Oct.  19.  Drove  in  to  Bndaim.  Very  ill  after  arriv- 
ing; headache  and  vomiting.  Felt  better  in  the  after- 
noon and  commenced  Quarterly  Conference  at  three 
o'clock.  Adjourned  at  five.  Then  followed  preaching. 
A  good  meeting. 

Monday,  Oct.  21.  Resumed  Quarterly  Conference 
session  at  7  130  A.  M.  Public  service  at  9  A.  M.  Good 
meeting.  After  dismissing  the  congregation  asked  all 
the  men  to  remain,  and  gave  them  counsel  and  admo- 
nition to  live  in  all  things  carefully  and  avoid  reproach. 
At  5  P.  M.  service ;  preached  on  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  in  the  after-meeting  many  prayed  for  this 
great  gift.  After  meeting  Dr.  Wilson  tried  to  take 
out  a  broken  tooth,  but  I  was  too  tired  and  nervous  and 
he  failed. 

Oct.  22.  Up  early.  Tea  at  5  A.  M.  Dr.  Wilson 
then  took  out  my  tooth  and  drove  me  eight  miles  to- 
ward Datagunge,  where  my  own  buggy  was ;  went  on, 
nine  miles  farther,  to  Datagunge;  had  breakfast;  ex- 
amined three  schools;  preached  short  sermons  in  the 
mohallas  of  the  town,  and  then  drove  on  twelve  or  fif- 
teen miles  to  Kherabajhera,  where  Brother  and  Sister 
Hoskins  were  in  camp.  They  gave  me  dinner,  but  I 
was  too  tired  to  attend  the  evening  meeting. 

Oct.  23.  Looked  into  the  school  work  at  Khera- 
bajhera; talked  with  people,  then  drove  on  to  Fateh- 
gunge ;  preached  in  the  bazaar ;  had  a  good  long  picture 
service;  then  went  on  with  Sister  Hoskins  to  Bareilly, 
where  she  remained.  At  2  A.  M.  I  got  my  train  for 
Moradabad,  and  changing  at  Chandausi  reached  home 
at  sunrise. 

Nov.  7.  Still  at  Bisolpur;  kept  my  bed  till  nearly 
noon.  Got  up  and  held  Quarterly  Conference  and  at 
evening  held  a  meeting  in  the  city.  Am  better. 

Nov.  8.  Drove  this  morning  twenty-three  miles  to 
Pilibheet;  feeling  better.  Wrote  up  arrears  of  corre- 
spondence and  held  meeting  in  the  evening. 

Nov.  9.  Brother  and  Sister  Neeld  came  out  to  Pili- 
bheet to  see  how  I  was  and  determined  to  take  me  to 

220 


A  WORKMAN  NOT  ASHAMED 

Bareilly.  Held  Pilibheet  Quarterly  Conference;  ex- 
amined schools  and  left  by  afternoon  train  for  Bareilly ; 
horse  and  buggy  to  follow. 

Jan.  i,  1890.  Moradabad.  Watch-night  service 
last  evening;  a  large  number  present  and  an  excellent 
meeting.  The  young  people  spoke  and  prayed  freely. 
We  organized  our  band  of  ready  workers,  about  one 
hundred  in  all.  The  testimonies  of  the  mission  work- 
ers and  young  people  took  all  the  time,  and  there  was 
no  preaching.  God  gave  us  large  blessings.  I  never 
attended  a  better  meeting.  Dr.  Mary  Sheldon  is  the 
captain  of  the  band  and  is  a  good  worker.  To-day  \ve 
started  for  our  Annual  Conference  at  Lucknow.  We 
were  joined  by  others  at  Bareilly  and  had  a  pleasant 
journey.  Our  work  in  the  district  promises  well  for 
the  coming  year.  All  I  have  belongs  to  God.  My  entire 
being  is  consecrated  to  him  and  his  work,  for  time  and 
eternity.  I  am  so  thankful  that  wife  and  I  are  so  well. 
The  prospect  is  that  I  may  give  up  my  district  and  take 
other  work.  I  have  had  this  district  for  many  years. 

The  next  chapter  will  show  that  the  anticipated 
change  took  place.  And  this  was  really  the  close  of 
Dr.  Parker's  long  career  as  presiding  elder  of  the  Rohil- 
khand  District.  In  1897  he  returned  as  presiding  elder 
of  the  Bareilly  District,  a  part  of  the  old  Rohilkhand 
District;  but  after  the  Conference  of  January,  1890, 
he  no  longer  had  charge  of  work  in  Moradabad,  and 
after  the  Conference  of  1891  Moradabad  was  never 
again  his  home.  His  name  had  been  in  some  form  or 
other  connected  with  the  place  for  nearly  thirty  years. 
At  the  first  session  of  the  North  India  Conference  after 
Bishop  Parker's  death  Mrs.  Parker  received  her  ap- 
pointment to  work  in  the  city  of  Moradabad,  and  the 
sorrow  of  her  bereavement  is  alleviated  by  the  fact  that 
she  has  her  home  and  her  work  in  the  only  place  which 
has  been  home  to  her  since  the  year  1863. 

221 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  IV. — GENERAL  EVANGELIST 

LARGE  additions  were  made  to  the  membership  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  North  India  during 
the  year  1889.  The  number  of  adults  baptized  that 
year  by  ministers  of  the  North  India  Conference  was 
2,291,  and  the  total  membership  was  9,782,  being  an 
increase  of  1,838  upon  the  membership  of  the  preceding 
year.  As  the  numbers  of  nominal  Christians  increased 
so  did  the  openings  for  advance  among  non-Christians 
multiply.  At  the  Lucknow  session  of  the  North  India 
Conference,  January  2-7,  1890,  Bishop  Thoburn,  now 
beginning  the  third  year  of  his  episcopal  administra- 
tion, was  very  desirous  of  making  special  effort  for  the 
evangelization  of  the  multitudes  who  appeared  to  be 
ready  to  receive  the  Gospel.  His  wishes  and  efforts 
in  this  direction,  in  which  he  had  the  hearty  support  of 
many  members  of  Conference,  resulted  in  the  follow- 
ing Conference  action : 

Whereas,  There  is  now  so  large  a  number  among 
certain  castes  and  classes  of  both  Hindus  and  Moham- 
medans throughout  all  parts  of  our  mission  field  who 
seem  almost  persuaded  to  leave  their  ancestral  faiths, 
and  are  without  doubt  very  impressible  material,  and 
need  only  to  have  the  superior  claims  of  Christianity 
pressed  home  upon  them  in  order  to  urge  them  to 
prompt  and  hearty  decision;  and, 

Whereas,  We  are  persuaded  that,  in  order  to  the 
most  successful  and  speedy  accomplishment  of  this  very 
important  phase  of  mission  work,  some  one  of  our 
number,  with  special  fitness  and  long  experience,  be 
requested  to  give  himself  entirely  to  this  movement  in 
all  its  varied  features ;  therefore, 

222 


GENERAL  EVANGELIST 

Resolved,  That  Bishop  Thoburn,  who,  we  are  happy 
to  know,  is  in  hearty  sympathy -with  this  measure,  be 
requested  to  appoint  one  such  member  of  the  North 
India  Conference  to  this  great  work,  and  to  assist  him 
in  every  way  possible  by  giving  him  as  good  a  staff  of 
assistants  as  may  by  any  means  be  available;  and  that 
all  pray  the  prayer  of  faith  for  the  success  of  this  work. 

This  Conference  resolution  resulted  in  Dr.  Parker's 
appointment  as  general  evangelist,  and  the  Rev.  C.  L. 
Bare  became  presiding  elder  of  the  Rohilkhand  Dis- 
trict. Dr.  Parker  had  not  sought  this  position,  and  it 
is  evident  he  would  have  preferred  remaining  on  the 
Rohilkhand  District.  His  diary  has  the  following  en- 
try, dated  January  7,  1890: 

Conference  and  Finance  Committee  closed  to-day. 
My  district  is  given  to  Brother  Bare.  He  is  a  good 
man  and  will  do  well.  He  is  the  man  of  my  own  choice, 
and  as  good  a  man  as  is  often  found  in  this  world.  I 
have  an  appointment  as  "General  Evangelist."  A  new 
appointment.  The  bishop  very  much  wished  such  an 
appointment  made  and  the  Conference  requested  it. 

Although  Dr.  Parker  made  such  generous  mention 
of  his  successor,  and  did  all  he  could  to  assist  him  in 
getting  acquainted  with  his  new  duties,  it  is  evident 
that  his  wishes  and  his  judgment  were  in  favor  of  re- 
taining his  old  work  some  time  longer.  And  reasons 
for  such  an  opinion  were  not  wanting.  During  the 
year  1889  there  had  been  2,956  baptisms  on  the  Rohil- 
khand District.  There  were  now  6,470  church  members 
on  the  district,  and  the  total  Christian  community  num- 
bered almost  9,000.  The  most  sanguine  of  the  mis- 
sionaries admitted  that  the  great  majority  of  these 

thousands  were  as  yet  but  nominal  Christians,  under- 

223 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

standing  little  about  personal  spiritual  religious  experi- 
ence. No  other  missionary  knew  all  these  people  and 
the  condition  of  their  lives  so  well  as  Dr.  Parker.  No 
other  man  could  approach  him  in  that  wonderful  activ- 
ity which  made  it  possible  for  him  to  visit  so  many 
places  in  a  short  time.  His  services  were  very  much 
needed  by  this  Christian  community,  and  the  subse- 
quent history  of  a  large  portion  of  the  old  Rohilkhand 
District  confirms  the  opinion  that  Dr.  Parker's  judg- 
ment was  correct;  it  would  have  been  better  for  the 
work  if  he  had  remained  a  few  years  longer  in  charge. 
The  North  India  Conference  session  at  Lucknow 
closed  January  7,  and  on  the  Qth  the  Bengal  Conference 
session  opened  in  Calcutta.  As  Dr.  Parker's  work  was 
to  be  in  both  Conferences,  and  Bishop  Thoburn  wished 
him  to  attend  the  session  of  the  Bengal  Conference,  Dr. 
Parker  left  Lucknow  at  the  close  of  his  own  Conference 
and  spent  three  days  in  Calcutta.  Concerning  his  visit 
he  writes  that  he  addressed  the  Conference  regarding 
his  work  as  general  evangelist,  and  that  much  interest 
was  awakened  and  sympathy  with  the  movement  mani- 
fested. He  spoke  at  the  Conference  missionary  meet- 
ing, and  on  Sunday  morning  gave  a  missionary  address 
to  the  Dharamtala  congregation.  Tuesday  morning 
early  he  arrived  at  Shahjahanpur,  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Bare,  his  successor.  The  following  entries  in  his 
journal  tell  their  own  story : 

Jan.  14,  1890.  Tuesday.  Went  to  work  on  accounts 
as  soon  as  it  was  light  and  worked  all  day,  getting  the 
money,  names  of  men,  etc.,  etc.,  of  each  station  ar- 
ranged correctly  for  orders  on  the  treasurer.  Brother 
Bare  got  very  tired ;  and  I  was  tired  enough. 

Jan.  15.  Still  helping  Brother  Bare.  Got  all  the 
orders  correct  by  n  A.  M.  Took  i  o'clock  train  for 

224 


GENERAL  EVANGELIST 

Bareilly.  Visited  theological  seminary  with  Dr.  Scott 
and  looked  over  plans  for  buildings.  Met  Brother  and 
Sister  Wilson,  from  Budaun,  and  audited  the  books  of 
that  circuit.  Audited  the  year's  accounts  of  the  the- 
ological seminary ;  attended  a  Bible  meeting  at  Brother 
Neeld's.  A  busy  day. 

Jan.  16.  Left  Bareilly  at  7:15  A.  M.  for  home.  Ar- 
rived at  10.  Wife  was  at  station  to  meet  me. 

Jan.  20.  Wrote  up  Finance  Committee  secretary's 
book.  Sent  copies  of  certain  portions  of  minutes  to  all 
parties  concerned :  To  m  Mansell  about  Cawnpore 
schools;  to  Dr.  Johnson  about  work  to  be  done  at 
home,  children's  allowance,  sanitarium  expenses;  to 
Dr.  Waugh  about  treasurer's  affairs. 

Jan.  21.  Sent  letters  to  Dr.  Peck,  Dr.  Butler,  Mother 
Parker,  Mrs.  Davis.  Clearing  up  papers,  and  am  near- 
ly ready  to  begin  outside  work. 

The  arduous  work  at  Shahjahanpur,  undertaken  im- 
mediately after  thirty-six  hours  in  a  railway  carriage, 
was  no  exceptional  occurrence  in  the  life  of  Dr.  Par- 
ker. He  burned  the  candle  at  both  ends  until  the  very 
last.  Indeed  the  last  four  months  of  1899  and  the  first 
two  months  of  1900  brought  him  the  heaviest  work  of 
his  life.  Long  journeys,  late  hours,  numberless  en- 
gagements, wearying  perplexities,  scores  and  hundreds 
of  letters  to  be  considered  and  in  some  way  answered — 
all  these  things  seemed  inevitable;  but  how  he  man- 
aged to  live  through  it  all  is  not  easily  understood.  One 
explanation  will  throw  a  little  light  on  the  problem: 
his  was  a  mind  at  leisure  from  itself;  there  was  peace 
within.  None  of  his  strength  was  wasted  or  spent  in 
conflict  with  himself. 

Although  general  evangelist  his  home  was  still  at 
Moradabad,  and  Mrs.  Parker  retained  charge  of  her 
girls'  boarding  school.  He  began  his  work  in  the 

(15)  225 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

neighborhood  of  Moradabad,  among:  the  villages;  in 
no  wise  considering  that  his  general  appointment  im- 
plied any  change  in  his  methods  of  work.  He  visited 
the  villages  and  towns  exactly  as  before,  only  the 
boundaries  of  the  Rohilkhand  District  were  no  longer 
the  limit  of  his  labors  or  responsibilities.  His  first  tour 
led  him  westward  to  Garhmukteshwar  on  the  Ganges, 
and  across  the  river  into  the  civil  district  of  Buland- 
shahr,  where  he  had  arranged  to  work  among  the  vil- 
lages on  the  Ingram  estate.  A  few  extracts  from  the 
record  of  this  tour  are  given : 

Feb.  7.  This  morning  went  to  join  Brother  Haqq 
at  Saidpur.  Good  meeting.  Preached  to  Christians 
and  inquirers,  and  Brother  Haqq  baptized  six  persons 
in  a  new  village — an  old  man,  his  wife,  and  sons.  A 
very  promising  opening,  which  will  result  in  a  large 
ingathering. 

Feb.  8.  Examined  school  at  Narainiya; 'had  long 
talk  with  the  preacher  about  his  work,  urging  him  to 
experiment  among  other  classes.  Sent  letter  for  circu- 
lation to  Brother  Cutting,  at  Moradabad,  to  be  printed. 
At  evening  came  on  to  Gajraula.  Preached,  with  pic- 
tures ;  large  and  quiet  audience.  Good  service ;  all  were 
friendly  and  happy,  though  formerly  they  had  been 
against  us.  Came  home  late.  Had  commenced  the 
day  determined  to  rest,  but  failed  somewhat. 

Feb.  ii.  Came  on  to  Garhmukteshwar;  good  serv- 
ice at  evening,  with  pictures.  Brethren  went  here  and 
there,  but  no  openings  except  for  preaching.  Brother 
Luke  and  some  men  from  Meerut  joined  us  here.  The 
preacher  at  Garhmukteshwar  is  sick,  and  does  little 
when  well. 

Feb.  17.  At  Gilautiya.  This  is  a  good  center  for 
work.  A  number  were  baptized  in  the  villages  and 
thirty  in  Gilautiya.  We  left  a  teacher  here  and  opened 
a  school;  remained  here  until  the  iQth,  when  we  went 

226 


GENERAL  EVANGELIST 

on  to  Bulandshahr  and  pitched  our  tents  in  Mr.  In- 
gram's  compound. 

Feb.  20.  Held  a  meeting  of  our  leaders,  with  Brother 
and  Sister  Ingram  present.  We  planned  to  open 
schools  and  have  preachers  in  five  or  six  places  on  their 
estates.  Mr.  Ingram  agrees  to  support  the  teachers  for 
five  schools,  also  two  preachers  and  perhaps  a  doctor. 

These  extracts  from  Dr.  Parker's  diary  and  the  re- 
port given  below  are  the  only  available  written  records 
of  the  year's  work.  His  report  made  at  the  Morad- 
abad  Conference,  January,  1891,  shows  what  was  at- 
tempted and  in  some  measure  what  was  accomplished. 
The  report  is  given  in  full ;  the  last  two  sentences  were 
evidently  written  because  adverse  criticisms  had  been 
made  of  some  of  the  methods  adopted  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  missionaries  in  India.  Dr.  Parker  subse- 
quently became  involved  in  newspaper  discussion  with 
the  critics,  and  he  made  strong  defense  of  the  so-called 
"hasty"  baptisms  in  Northern  India.  In  reporting  his 
work  as  general  evangelist  Dr.  Parker  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing : 

When  this  appointment  was  made  the  object  sought 
by  the  evangelist  was  to  secure  a  revival  of  evangelistic 
effort  looking  for  direct  and  constant  results  all  over 
our  mission  field  in  every  part  of  India.  In  this  we  be- 
lieve that  much  success  is  being  attained.  A  new  inter- 
est has  been  awakened,  and  new  efforts  are  being  made 
to  turn  preaching  and  school  work  more  effectually  to 
the  saving  of  the  people  and  to  gathering  them  into 
little  churches  under  pastoral  watch-care.  In  the 
Moradabad,  Meerut,  Bulandshahr.  Muzaffarnagar, 
Aligarh,  Etah.  Agra,  Ajmcre,  and  Khandwa  civil  dis- 
tricts the  work  has  received  new  impetus,  not  in  every 
case  through  the  direct  work  of  the  special  evangelists, 
but  by  the  counsel  and  assistance  given.  Including  the 

227 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

places  opened  through  the  extra  aid  secured  by  Dr. 
Peck  and  Bishop  Thoburn,  which  the  success  of  this 
work  called  out,  more  than  two  hundred  new  centers 
will  be  opened  by  the  end  of  October,  and  more  than 
two  hundred  other  places  are  still  calling.  These  cen- 
ters are  scattered  all  over  India.  Most  of  this  work  is 
done  by  the  regular  laborers  in  the  various  circuits,  and 
thus  our  object  is  secured,  as  we  are  turning  attention 
to  this  kind  of  work,  waking  up  an  interest  in  it,  and  se- 
curing the  means  needed  for  it.  We  can  do  but  little 
personally,  but  if  all  over  India  the  efforts  of  our  people 
can  be  turned  into  channels  of  success  in  bringing  peo- 
ple who  are  accessible  and  ready  to  Jesus  now,  and  in 
building  up  a  native  Church,  our  object  will  be  attained. 
Let  no  one  believe  for  one  moment  that  our  object  is 
merely  to  baptize;  all  converts  are  placed  under  the 
watch-care  of  Christian  pastor-teachers,  and  schools  are 
opened  for  their  children.  We  open  no  new  center 
when  we  cannot  supply  the  pastor-teacher,  who  teaches 
the  children  to  read  and  write,  and  the  inquirers  and 
Christians  the  way  of  life  more  fully. 

Dr.  Parker  held  the  office  of  general  evangelist  for 
one  year  only.  At  the  Moradabad  Conference  of  Jan- 
uary, 1891,  he  became  presiding  elder  of  the  Oudh 
District.  At  the  same  Conference  a  resolution  was  pre- 
sented by  the  leading  native  ministers  expressing  their 
great  appreciation  of  the  services  of  the  general  evan- 
gelist and  praying  for  his  continued  success  in  this 
service.  The  report  of  the  special  committee  on  evan- 
gelistic work  affirms  that  "if  the  exigencies  of  the 
work  prevent  the  appointment  of  a  general  evangelist 
for  the  coming  year,  the  correspondence,  the  advice 
by  circular  letters,  and  the  special  efforts  by  all  should 
be  continued  until  a  revival  flame  shall  sweep  over  our 
entire  Indian  field."  It  was  doubtless  in  harmony  with 

this  idea  that  at  this  Conference  Dr.  Parker,  in  addition 

228 


GENERAL  EVANGELIST 

to  the  charge  of  the  Oudh  District,  received  an  appoint- 
ment to  evangelistic  work.  But  the  work  in  Oudh  soon 
absorbed  all  his  energies,  and  his  work  as  general  evan- 
gelist virtually  came  to  an  end. 

During  the  year  1890  Moradabad  was  Dr.  Parker's 
home,  and  the  serious  illness  and  departure  to  America 
of  the  missionary,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Simmons,  made  it 
necessary  for  Dr.  Parker  to  act  as  preacher  in  charge 
of  Moradabad  during  the  latter  part  of  the  year,  and  he 
had  neither  wish  nor  expectation  of  leaving  his  old 
station.  Bishop  Thoburn's  suggestion  that  he  should 
take  charge  of  the  Oudh  District  brought  surprise  and 
sorrow.  In  December  he  writes,  "Our  hearts  were 
made  sad  to-night  by  a  letter  from  Bishop  Thoburn. 
He  wishes  me  to  go  to  Oudh."  Nevertheless  he  ac- 
cepted the  new  appointment  loyally ;  and,  though  Luck- 
now  never  became  home  to  him  like  Moradabad,  the 
six  years  of  service  he  gave  to  Oudh  were  among  the 
most  diligent,  enthusiastic,  and  self-sacrificing  years  of 

his  missionary  career. 

229 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


CHAPTER  V. — THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

ALTHOUGH  the  province  of  Oudh  borders  Rohil- 
khand  the  people  are  much  more  difficult  of  access,  and 
mission  work  had  not  prospered  here  as  it  had  farther 
north.  Dr.  Henry  Mansell,  the  former  presiding  elder, 
had  returned  to  America  in  the  fall  of  1890  on  account 
of  Mrs.  Mansell's  poor  health,  and  it  was  thought  ad- 
visible  that  Dr.  Parker  should  take  up  his  work.  The 
appointment  was  made  partly  because  there  was  at  the 
time  no  other  person  available  for  it,  but  the  chief  rea- 
son was  the  hope  that  the  man  who  had  been  so  suc- 
cessful in  Rohilkhand  would  be  able  to  bring  about 
great  results  in  Oudh. 

The  district  was  an  enormous  one  and  the  difficulties 
to  be  faced  were  great,  and  it  was  with  some  forebod- 
ing that  this  new  duty  was  undertaken.  The  work  of 
general  evangelist  had  been  agreeable,  promising  as  it 
did  such  definite  and  extended  benefit  to  the  whole  field 
and  also  harmonizing  completely  with  his  own  ardent 
nature,  and  it  was  given  up  with  reluctance.  Indeed, 
at  the  time  of  making  the  appointments  it  was  arranged 
that  it  should  go  on  as  usual,  and  it  so  appears  in  the 
Conference  records;  but  the  district  work  proved  so 
heavy  that  it  was  impossible  for  Dr.  Parker  to  do  any- 
thing outside  its  boundaries  in  the  way  of  holding  evan- 
gelistic meetings.  In  addition  to  the  entire  Province 
of  Oudh,  which  it  embraced  but  did  not  fully  occupy, 
the  district  included  the  civil  districts  of  Allahabad  and 
Cawnpore,  adjoining  on  the  south,  the  whole  having  a 

population  of  about  eighteen  million  people,  and  con- 

230 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

taining  within  its  boundaries  most  of  the  institutional 
work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Northern 
India.  The  existence  of  two  high  schools,  two  colleges, 
and  a  large  publishing  house  within  the  bounds  of 
Oudh  greatly  increased  the  responsibilities  of  Dr.  Par- 
ker's work. 

But  the  greater  part  of  his  hesitation  in  going  to 
Oudh  did  not  grow  out  of  the  expected  difficulties  of 
the  work  so  much  as  it  did  out  of  some  partly  personal 
considerations,  mainly  the  condition  of  his  health.  This 
is  the  entry  made  on  the  day  the  Conference  session 
closed : 

The  Conference  work  was  hurried  through,  and  we 
closed,  this  evening,  with  the  sacrament.  It  was  a 
good  session.  I  go  to  Oudh  as  presiding  elder,  but 
Mrs.  Parker  remains  here  in  Moradabad.  I  feel  very 
badly  about  this,  but  could  not  and  would  not  refuse. 
It  is  a  hard  work,  and  it  seems  worse  as  for  six  weeks 
I  have  been  far  from  well,  suffering  from  chest  diffi- 
culty and  from  cough. 

The  appointment  once  made  there  was  no  further 
thought  of  hesitation  or  doubt,  but  rather  a  remarkable 
energy  and  ability  displayed  in  grasping  the  details  of 
the  work  and  mastering  its  difficulties.  The  cough 
from  which  he  suffered  clung  to  him  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  year,  and  for  some  months  kept  him  from 
preaching,  but  his  journal  shows  constant  journeyings 
from  one  part  of  his  vast  district  to  another,  with  meet- 
ings and  conferences  with  the  workers  almost  every 
day.  During  the  first  year  a  source  of  great  incon- 
venience and  discomfort  to  him  was  the  lack  of  his 
usual  home  life,  the  Conference  having  thought  best, 
on  account  of  the  exigencies  of  the  Woman's  work  in 

231 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

that  place,  to  leave  Mrs.  Parker  for  the  year  in  Morad- 
abad.  What  this  meant  to  the  two  most  concerned  can 
be  realized  only  by  those  who  knew  the  beauty  and 
happiness  of  the  home  life  thus  interrupted. 

In  the  midst  of  this  first  crowded  year  Dr.  Parker 
found  time  to  accompany  the  suffering  Dr.  Badley  in 
his  visit  to  a  distant  mountain  sanitarium,  hoping  that 
the  change  might  save  that  valuable  missionary  life. 
Later  in  the  season  he  again  made  the  weary  marches 
to  bring  the  failing  friend  back  to  die  in  his  own  home. 
The  daily  entries  in  the  journal  at  this  period  reveal  a 
very  tender  love  for  the  afflicted  worker  and  his  family 
and  bear  witness  to  the  warm-hearted  unselfishness  of 
the  writer  himself. 

In  taking  over  Oudh  District  it  was  but  natural  that 
Dr.  Parker  should  look  forward  to  and  work  toward 
the  inauguration  of  a  mass  movement  among  the  people 
similar  to  the  one  experienced  in  his  old  field  of  labor. 
After  carefully  studying  conditions  the  first  year  he 
decided  to  call  to  his  help  men  who  had  been  with  him 
in  Rohilkhand  and  to  introduce  some  of  his  tried  meth- 
ods. Experienced  workers  were  placed  in  the  chief 
centers  and  for  some  time  all  seemed  to  go  well.  It  was 
thought  the  plan  would  succeed.  In  these  centers, 
through  the  efforts  of  the  tried  men,  large  numbers  were 
baptized,  but  Dr.  Parker  soon  saw  that  the  converts 
were  not  so  trustworthy  as  had  been  those  from  the 
same  classes  in  Rohilkhand,  and  that  the  method  was 
unsuited  to  his  new  district  and  must  be  abandoned. 
This  was  a  sore  trial,  for  Dr.  Parker  cherished  sanguine 
Hopes,  but  he  had  no  wish  to  burden  the  infant  church 
with  unworthy  adherents.  It  is  but  fair  to  say,  how- 
ever, that  in  the  civil  districts  of  Hardoi  and  Shahabad, 

232 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

where  the  conditions  more  nearly  resemble  those  of 
Rohilkhand,  the  work  was  much  more  substantial,  and 
that  Christian  communities  of  good  material  were  col- 
lected and  still  remain. 

This  failure  of  the  mass  movement  plan  only  made 
Dr.  Parker  more  determined  that  the  work  in  this  hard 
field  should  not  be  in  vain.  He  began  a  careful  selec- 
tion of  promising  men  and  women  and  started  in  to 
train  them  according  to  his  own  ideas  of  what  mission 
workers  should  be.  In  this  he  was  remarkably  success- 
ful, and  soon  had  gathered  around  him  a  very  superior 
body  of  fellow-laborers.  Two  years  later  he  was  able 
to  report  to  the  Conference  on  this  point  thus : 

Perhaps  our  most  encouraging  success  in  Oudh  is 
found  in  the  growth  and  work  of  our  native  preachers, 
teachers,  and  official  members  of  our  churches.  We 
have  strong,  true  men  and  women  among  us,  who,  with 
a  full  and  clear  experience,  feel  the  responsibility  of  this 
work  and  are  efficient  leaders  in  the  various  depart- 
ments. 

There  now  began  a  steady  and  solid  growth  in  all 
the  circuits.  Not  only  did  the  number  of  baptisms  in- 
crease, but  the  character  of  the  converts  was  much  more 
satisfactory,  and  church  organizations  were  formed  in 
the  various  centers. 

During  the  six  years  he  was  in  Oudh  we  find  very 
few  Journal  entries.  Such  as  do  appear  are  most  frag- 
mentary in  character,  and  usually  refer  to  business 
transactions  or  itinerating  trips.  As  illustrating,  the 
following  entries  for  a  few  days  in  March,  1895,  niav 
be  quoted : 

Sunday,  3rd.  At  Unao.  Meetings  all  clay;  preached 
on  "What  lack  I  yet?"  Sacrament  and  one  baptism. 
All  workers  present. 

233 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Monday,  4th.  Went  to  Lucknow  and  worked  at  the 
press;  attended  business  at  the  bank.  Met  Dr.  Scott. 
Long  talk  on  accounts  and  arranged  [college]  invest- 
ments with  Mansell.  Settled  "funds"  [treasurer's]  ac- 
count with  Hewes.  Arranged  Miss  Thoburn's  [Wom- 
an's College]  money.  Caught  a  severe  cold. 

Tuesday,  5th.  Settled  with  Dr.  Scott.  Worked 
with  Mansell  on  accounts,  etc. 

Wednesday,  6th.  Came  back  to  Workers'  Confer- 
ence at  Unao,  and  drove  out  at  once  to  Safipur;  the 
tent  had  come  on  and  was  ready.  Wrote  letters;  had 
magic  lantern  in  the  city;  talked  to  workers.  Cold 
rather  increasing. 

Thursday,  7th.  At  Safipur.  Wrote  important  let- 
ters; got  program  for  district  workers'  meeting  ready 
and  sent  it  to  Mansell.  Not  well — cold  very  trouble- 
some. Talked  with  workers.  This  place  is  a  bad  one. 

Friday,  8th.  Came  to  Bangarmau  early  and  selected 
a  place  to  pitch  tent.  Rested  in  Yaqub's  tent  until  ours 
came.  Cold  seems  developing  into  influenza.  Rested 
much  and  wrote  some  letters. 

Saturday,  Qth.  No  better;  had  a  bad  night.  Took 
medicine  and  kept  in  bed  much  of  the  day.  Hope  to  be 
better;  if  not,  we  must  go  back. 

Sunday,  loth.  At  Bangarmau.  No  better.  Yaqub 
had  a  meeting  in  the  tent.  Terrible  storm,  and  broken 
branches  fell  all  around.  Yaqub's  tent  blown  away, 
but  ours  stood. 

Monday,  nth.  Came  on  to  Malawan.  Tupper  met 
us  at  Moradabadganj.  Mud  all  day  and  wet  all  night. 
Stopped  in  a  house,  as  the  tent  was  too  wet.  Meetings. 

Tuesday,  I2th.  Came  on  this  morning  to  Rudamau 
to  see  the  zamindar,  and  on  this  evening  to  Bilgram. 
Stopped  in  house.  Meetings  in  both  places. 

These  entries  mean  very  little  to  those  unfamiliar  with 
Indian  roads  and  Indian  weather  and  native  huts,  but 
they  show  something  of  the  life  of  the  presiding  elder. 

The  cold  mentioned  in  these  passages  proved  very  trou- 

234 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

blesome,  and  some  months  afterward  had  maintained 
such  a  hold  that  it  was  feared  it  would  result  disas- 
trously. But  such  a  thought  as  sparing  himself  did 
not  come  to  this  missionary,  whose  only  desire  seemed 
to  be  to  push  the  work  given  him.  For  six  years,  when 
not  tied  down  by  his  office  and  other  work,  he  traveled 
over  the  district  in  this  manner,  seldom  more  than  a 
day  or  two  in  a  place;  making  the  journey  by  rail  when 
he  could,  but  oftener  traveling  over  the  rough  roads 
from  village  to  village  in  his  American  buggy.  His 
constitution  was  rugged,  otherwise  he  never  could 
have  endured  such  overwork;  but  in  the  light  of 
after  events  it  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  the  ex- 
ertion was  a  tax  on  his  health  that  contributed  to  his 
final  breakdown. 

At  the  end  of  his  disciplinary  term  as  presiding  elder 
Dr.  Parker  was  transferred  from  the  Oudh  District, 
not  because  he  wished  to  leave  the  work,  but  as  a  pro- 
test against  the  custom  then  followed  of  allowing  pre- 
siding elders  to  retain  their  districts  more  than  the  dis- 
ciplinary term.  It  was  a  self-denial  for  him  to  take 
this  step,  as  the  work  had  grown  steadily  under  his  care 
and  the  outlook  was  promising.  But  in  this  case,  as 
always,  he  chose  duty,  not  inclination.  When  he  as- 
sumed charge  of  the  district  in  1891  it  contained  less 
than  three  thousand  Christians,  with  but  a  few  church 
organizations.  The  territory  then  occupied  he  thought 
too  large  to  be  worked  well,  and  so  followed  the  policy 
of  dividing  it  as  fast  as  he  could  get  the  different  parts 
properly  organized.  As  a  result,  when  he  left  it  the 
original  territory  had  been  cut  up  into  five  separate  pre- 
siding elders'  districts,  each  of  which  contained  almost, 
if  not  quite,  as  many  Christians  as  had  the  original 

235 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

one.  If  during  his  term  of  service  in  Ouclh  he  had 
done  nothing  else  than  thus  develop  the  evangelistic 
work  of  the  province  it  would  have  been  accounted  a 
great  success,  for  not  only  had  the  Christian  commu- 
nity been  largely  increased,  but  he  had  developed  a 
class  of  workers  much  superior  to  the  average,  and 
splendidly  organized  the  whole  work. 

In  view  of  the  difficulties  of  the  Oudh  District  work, 
when  Dr.  Parker  was  assigned  to  it  he  was  promised 
that  he  should  be  left  free  from  local  work  in  Lucknow. 
All  his  time  and  strength  should  be  put  into  the  direct 
evangelistic  work  among  the  people.  But  it  was  very 
soon  found  that  this  promise  could  not  be  kept.  In 
every  large  mission  station,  especially  where  there  are 
institutions,  emergencies  are  constantly  arising  which 
require  most  unexpected  adjustment,  and  it  was 
through  some  of  these  emergencies  that  very  heavy  ad- 
ditional burdens  were  laid  on  Dr.  Parker.  Early  in  the 
year  1893  the  RCV-  Thomas  Craven,  the  agent  of  the 
Methodist  Publishing  House  in  Lucknow,  went  to 
America,  and  as  no  other  person  was  available  for  the 
position  thus  made  vacant  it  was  arranged  that  Dr. 
Parker  should  assume  it.  The  publishing  house  is  one 
of  the  most  extensive  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  not 
only  employs  a  large  number  of  workmen,  but  has  all 
the  complicated  machinery  that  goes  with  any  modern 
press  that  does  work  in  half  a  dozen  languages.  As  the 
institution  is  self-supporting,  depending  entirely  upon 
profits  derived  from  its  job  work  for  money  to  push 
its  religious  publications,  it  is  really  a  business  enter- 
prise that  requires  an  agent  of  more  than  average  abil- 
ity. At  this  time  the  task  was  an  especially  difficult 

one.    The  foundations  were  in  for  a  large  new  build- 

236 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

ing  which  must  be  completed  before  the  advent  of  the 
rainy  season ;  the  issuing  of  a  series  of  school  and  other 
related  books  had  involved  some  heavy  financial  respon- 
sibilities, and  financial  obligations  were  to  be  faced, 
growing  out  of  a  successful  attempt  to  secure  an  en- 
dowment. To  carry  on  the  usual  work  of  the  press, 
to  raise  money  for  the  new  building,  and  to  adjust  the 
investments  on  endowment — this  was  the  additional 
work  that  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  already  hard-worked 
missionary.  For  the  overseeing  of  the  building  opera- 
tions and  for  managing  the  mechanical  department  he 
secured  the  help  of  a  local  missionary,  but  the  general 
planning  of  the  work  and  the  financing  of  the  entire 
concern  were  in  his  own  hands. 

In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  Mission  in  South- 
ern Asia  the  election  of  publishing  house  agents  is  in 
the  control  of  the  Central  Conference,  and  the  term 
for  which  they  were  elected  at  that  time  was  two  years. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he  had  been 
supplying,  the  Mission  was  so  well  satisfied  with  his 
work  that  he  was  requested  to  continue  in  the  position 
for  another  term.  He  accepted  on  condition  that  a  co- 
agent  be  elected,  and  J.  W.  Robinson,  who  had  been 
assisting  him  in  the  press  the  previous  year,  was  chosen 
for  the  place.  Even  thus  lightened,  however,  the  bur- 
den was  too  heavy  to  carry  for  any  length  of  time,  and 
at  the  Central  Conference  session  of  1896  he  asked  to 
be  allowed  to  retire  altogether  from  the  press.  The 
three  years  spent  in  this  work  furnish  few  events  that 
need  to  be  mentioned  in  a  biography,  but  the  task  per- 
formed so  successfully  had  been  a  very  onerous  one. 
Dr.  Parker  left  the  publishing  house  in  possession  of 
a  large  and  new  property,  a  good  plant  of  machinery 

237 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

and  material,  an  endowment  amounting  to  almost  a 
hundred  thousand  rupees,  and  practically  no  debt. 

A  part  of  this  endowment  was  money  invested  in 
shares  of  the  Upper  India  Paper  Mills,  located  in  Luck- 
now,  and  with  it  came  a  task  which  Dr.  Parker  heartily 
disliked,  but  which  was  to  furnish  another  evidence  of 
his  great  business  ability.  These  mills,  with  a  value 
of  about  two  millions  of  rupees,  are  prosperous,  but  the 
larger  part  of  the  capital  stock  is  in  the  hands  of  native 
shareholders,  who  in  turn  commit  the  management  to 
native  directors.  But  with  oriental  methods  of  busi- 
ness there  is  danger  of  mismanagement  under  such  con- 
ditions, and  the  English  shareholders  in  this  concern 
have  from  the  first  required  that  one  of  their  commun- 
ity shall  be  on  the  Board  of  Directors.  As  a  number 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Mission  institutions  have 
endowment  funds  invested  here  its  interests  are  impor- 
tant, and  for  three  successive  years  Dr.  Parker  was  the 
representative  of  the  foreign  element  on  this  board  of 
management.  So  frank  and  straightforward  was  he  in 
his  dealings  with  his  fellow-directors  that  he  was  unan- 
imously chosen  president  of  the  board,  and  in  all  mat- 
ters concerning  the  conduct  of  the  great  business  insti- 
tution it  was  usually  his  advice  that  prevailed.  Thus, 
in  his  connection  with  the  publishing  house  and  with 
the  mills,  Dr.  Parker  proved  himself  not  a  missionary 
only,  but  a  financier  and  a  business  man  as  well. 

In  still  another  position  he  demonstrated  his  effi- 
ciency. The  treasurer  in  a  Mission  Conference  is  not 
only  the  fiscal  agent  of  the  board,  receiving  and  dis- 
bursing monthly  the  money  sent  out  to  the  field,  but  the 
channel  as  well  for  the  private  accounts  of  the  mission- 
aries in  their  dealings  with  the  home  land.  The  com- 

238 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

plications  of  these  public  and  private  accounts,  the 
fluctuations  of  exchange,  the  emergent  demands,  and 
the  inevitable  misapprehensions  that  will  creep  in,  call 
for  not  only  financial  skill,  but  also  a  large  amount  of 
patience  and  tact.  In  the  latter  part  of  1893  Dr.  J.  W. 
Waugh,  who  had  been  set  apart  by  the  board  as  treas- 
urer for  all  India,  went  on  furlough  to  America,  and  it 
was  arranged  that  thereafter  each  Conference  should 
have  its  own  treasurer.  This  change  in  policy  involved 
temporary  complications  and  made  it  necessary  to  put 
the  office  in  charge  of  a  thoroughly  competent  man. 
The  North  India  Conference  nominated  Dr.  Parker 
for  the  place,  and  he  was  appointed  by  the  board 
to  the  position.  This  new  and  intricate  work  could 
only  come  as  a  disagreeable  duty,  to  an  already  bur- 
dened man,  but  for  two  years  it  was  cheerfully  carried 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  who  were  in  any  way 
interested. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  their  career  in  India 
both  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  had  shown  an  active  interest 
in  the  children  and  young  people  of  the  land.  With  in- 
creasing age  this  interest  was  more  and  more  manifest. 
When  the  Oxford  League  was  first  organized  in  Amer- 
ica it  attracted  the  attention  of  these  two  young  hearted 
missionaries  as  being  probably  what  was  needed  for 
work  among  India's  young  people.  Adapted  from  this 
model,  the  first  chapter  in  India  was  organized  by  them 
in  connection  with  their  Moradabad  work,  and  as  soon 
as  its  effectiveness  in  training  and  character-building 
was  proved  the  organization  spread  rapidly  over  the 
entire  Mission.  In  1894,  after  the  Epworth  League 
had  been  adopted  by  the  missionaries  as  the  form  of 
organization  best  suited  for  practical  results,  it  was  de- 

239 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

cided  to  effect  a  national  organization.  In  choosing  a 
president  for  the  national  league  it  seemed  the  natural 
thing  that  the  father  of  the  society  in  India  should  be 
elected,  and  so  it  came  about  that  the  venerable  but 
youthful-spirited  Dr.  Parker  was  chosen  for  the  posi- 
tion. This  was  an  honor  of  which  he  was  very  proud, 
and  he  held  the  office  until  his  death.  His  interest  in 
the  movement  was  great.  In  all  its  national  con- 
ventions he  was  the  central  figure,  and  it  is  largely 
owing  to  his  wise  counsel  and  skillful  leadership  that 
the  organization  has  had  such  a  remarkable  growth  in 
India  and  has  been  so  effective. 

He  looked  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  Church  as  its 
hope,  and  was  confident  that,  if  they  could  be  rightly 
trained,  they  would  prove  an  arm  of  power  in  all  efforts 
to  promote  the  cause  and  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  His 
love  and  confidence  were  heartily  reciprocated  by  all 
the  young  people  who  came  in  contact  with  him,  and  as 
a  result  he  had  a  wonderful  influence  over  them.  The 
Epworth  League  has  before  it  a  promising  outlook  in 
Southern  Asia,  and  it  will  in  time  grow  to  large  pro- 
portions, but  it  will  always  be  indebted  to  its  first 
national  president,  not  only  for  its  birth,  but  for  the 
right  direction  and  great  momentum  it  received  during 
his  administration.  Before  his  death  it  was  working 
in  thirty  different  languages  within  the  bounds  of  his 
official  territory,  and  he  looked  forward  with  faith  to 
the  time  when  the  youth  of  India  should  be  leagued 
together  in  the  accomplishment  of  what  he  so  ardently 
desired  and  so  confidently  expected,  "India  for  Christ 
and  Christ  for  India." 

When  Dr.  Parker  went  to  Lucknow  and  began  his 

work  there  he  found  the  mission  poorly  equipped  in  the 

240 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

matter  of  buildings  for  carrying  on  its  work.  The  boys' 
college  had  no  home,  the  girls'  college  was  crowded 
in  with  the  high  school,  the  large  Hindustani  con- 
gregation gathered  in  the  largest  room  of  a  dwelling, 
and  the  residence  of  some  of  the  missionaries  was  too 
far  from  their  work.  In  the  earlier  days  the  Missionary 
Society  had  been  lavish  in  its  appropriations  for  real 
estate,  but  now  it  was  impossible  to  get  a  grant  for  any- 
thing save  current  work,  and  although  the  buildings 
were  most  urgently  needed  there  was  absolutely  no 
hope  of  getting  them  save  on  the  basis  of  money  raised 
locally  or  gifts  received  from  friends.  As  a  people  is 
not  anxious  to  furnish  with  funds  an  agency  that  is 
attempting  to  overthrow  its  religion  it  is  impossible  to 
raise  money  for  mission  work  among  the  non-Chris- 
tians. The  Christian  community  is  as  yet  neither  large 
nor  in  any  sense  wealthy,  so  the  task  undertaken  to 
secure  a  better  equipment  of  buildings  was  a  most 
difficult  one ;  one  that  would  try  both  the  faith  and  the 
resources  of  the  man  attempting  it. 

Dr.  Badley,  the  founder  and  first  principal  of  the 
Christian  College,  had  long  been  endeavoring  to  secure 
funds  for  the  much-needed  building  for  his  work,  but 
up  to  the  time  Dr.  Parker  went  to  Lucknow  had  not  yet 
succeeded.  The  latter  at  once  began  actively  assisting 
in  the  matter  and  enlisting  the  assistance  of  others,  and 
before  his  death,  in  1891,  Dr.  Badley  had  the  privilege 
of  seeing  a  fine  new  structure  under  way.  The  money 
for  its  completion  was  the  gift  from  Dr.  J.  M.  Reid, 
for  many  years  Missionary  Secretary  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  had  first  intended  to  leave  the 
money  as  a  legacy,  but  after  personal  interviews  with 
several  missionaries,  Dr.  Parker  being  one  of  the  num- 

(16)  241 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

ber,  the  money  was  given  outright  and  so  became  avail- 
able for  immediate  use. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  busi- 
ness department  of  the  college,  at  the  time  of  its  incep- 
tion a  new  departure  in  education  in  India,  owes  its 
existence  to  this  same  missionary.  In  a  letter  from 
America  in  August,  1892,  Dr.  Parker  wrote  to  a  friend 
in  Lucknow : 

I  have  the  college  on  my  mind  all  the  time,  but  as  yet 
I  have  secured  little.  I  am  asking  the  bishop  for  a  man 
for  the  college  who  can  open  a  sort  of  business  depart- 
ment for  special  training  work.  For  this  we  need  a 
man  who  can  teach  shorthand  and  typewriting.  I  am 
sure  that  such  a  course  would  give  our  college  a  name 
and  our  boys  the  inside  track. 

The  man  was  secured  and  his  salary  also,  and  the 
business  department  thus  established  has  been  remark- 
ably successful,  fully  proving  the  wisdom  that  planned 
and  brought  it  into  existence. 

One  Sunday,  a  few  months  after  taking  up  the  Oudh 
work,  Dr.  Parker  had  been  preaching  to  the  Hindustani 
congregation  in  Lucknow.  The  day  was  a  hot  one,  the 
crowded  room,  a  part  of  a  private  house,  was  badly 
ventilated,  and  both  the  preacher  and  the  people  had 
suffered  discomfort.  On  the  way  home  he  said  to  a 
friend  walking  at  his  side,  "We  must  have  a  new 
church."  This  marked  the  beginning  of  what  became 
a  very  difficult  but  ultimately  successful  building  ven- 
ture. No  money  was  available  from  mission  funds, 
and  it  looked  like  madness  to  expect  from  the  poor 
congregation  such  help  as  would  be  needed,  but  the 
man  who  proposed  the  new  scheme  went  to  work  with 

his  usual  energy  and  wisdom.    He  first  called  the  Hin- 

242 


Methodist  Episcopal  Publishing  House.  Lucknow 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (Hindustani).  Lucknow 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

dustani  congregation  together,  and  after  presenting 
the  matter  secured  a  promise  of  a  gift  from  almost 
every  wage-earner — these  gifts  ranging  in  amount 
from  one  month's  salary  to  three.  The  old  building 
had  been  for  many  years  the  place  of  a  series  of  revival 
services  known  as  the  Dasahra  meetings,  because  of 
their  being  held  during  a  public  holiday  called  by  that 
name,  and  in  these  services  hundreds  of  English  people 
had  been  converted.  The  next  move  was  to  secure  a 
donation  for  the  new  church  from  each  of  those  who 
had  been  in  any  way  helped  in  these  meetings.  This 
brought  in  a  large  sum.  Then  private  appeals  were 
made  to  personal  friends  all  over  the  world.  All  the 
needed  money  was  obtained,  and  early  in  1892  a  sub- 
stantial brick  structure,  costing  about  fifteen  thousand 
rupees,  and  capable  of  seating  eight  hundred  people, 
was  dedicated  free  of  debt. 

During  his  incumbency  in  Oudh  the  large  publishing 
house  building,  the  Harriet  Warren  Memorial  Hall 
and  Isabella  Thoburn  College  building,  the  Lai  Bagh 
mission  house,  and  other  minor  buildings,  were  erected 
in  Lucknow,  in  all  of  which*  Dr.  Parker  had  an  impor- 
tant part  as  counselor  and  financial  backer.  In  the 
district  he  also  carried  forward  this  part  of  the  work, 
and  aside  from  erecting  the  Learned  Chapel  at  Lakhim- 
pur  he  built  a  numr>er  of  small  diuretics  and  schools 
at  various  centers.  At  the  time  he  left  it  the  district 
had  a  splendid  equipment  of  buildings,  all  practically 
free  of  debt. 

In  a  city  like  Lucknow  many  duties  arise  that  grow 
out  of  inter-missionary  relations.  These  duties  can 
hardly  be  classified,  and  yet  they  are  important  and 
often  add  considerably  to  the  missionary's  burdens  as 

243 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

well  as  to  his  opportunities  for  usefulness.  For  three 
of  the  years  he  was  in  Lucknow  Dr.  Parker  was 
president  of  the  United  Missionary  Conference,  a 
body  composed  of  all  missionaries  of  the  various  de- 
nominations working  in  and  around  the  city,  and  for 
three  years  he  was  also  president  of  the  local  organiza- 
tion of  his  own  mission.  In  both  of  these  positions 
his  experience  and  his  ability  did  much  to  shape  profit- 
ably the  discussion  of  the  questions  that  came  before 
the  two  bodies.  His  relations  with  all  missionaries  in 
the  station,  of  his  own  and  other  denominations,  were 
the  friendliest,  and  his  advice  was  usually  sought  and 
followed  when  difficult  and  important  matters  were 
pending.  He  found  the  social  life  of  the  circle  in  Luck- 
now  very  enjoyable,  and  took  great  interest  and 
pride  in  the  younger  missionaries  that  he  had  under 
his  care,  doing  all  that  could  be  done  to  develop  the 
best  in  every  one.  In  name  he  was  "Uncle  Parker" 
to  each,  but  in  reality  he  was  a  wise  and  loving  father 
to  them  all. 

Little  need  be  said  of  the  part  taken  by  Dr.  Parker 
in  the  various  Conferences  held  during  this  period. 
Few  things  save  routine  work  came  up;  important  in 
itself  but  of  little  interest  to  any  save  the  missionaries 
directly  concerned.  He  was  present  at  each  session. 
and  always  as  a  worker.  Few  important  pieces  of  leg- 
islation were  effected  which  did  not  originate  with  him. 
and  in  the  many  perplexing  difficulties  it  was  usually 
his  advice  that  was  sought  and  followed.  Always 
chosen  delegate  to  the  Central  Conference,  he  was  here 
as  prominent  as  in  the  Annual  Conference  sessions.  In 
the  great  Decennial  Conference  of  all  missions  work- 
ing in  India,  held  in  Bombay  in  1892,  he  was  a  leader 

244 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

among  leaders,  and  his  wisdom  and  experience  were 
recognized  by  the  strong  men  of  other  missions. 

In  1892  and  1896  his  brethren  honored  him  by  elect- 
ing him  at  the  head  of  their  General  Conference  dele- 
gations. As  in  previous  sessions  which  he  had  attended 
of  this  great  law-making  body  of  the  Church,  his  chief 
work  was  quietly  and  effectively  done  in  committees. 
In  the  Conference  of  the  latter  year  he  made  a  strong 
speech  advocating  the  continuation  of  the  missionary 
episcopacy  in  India,  and  urged  the  necessity  of  electing 
a  coadjutor  for  Bishop  Thoburn.  On  the  latter  point 
he  failed  to  convince  the  Conference,  but  time  has 
amply  vindicated  the  wisdom  of  his  plea. 

The  following  extract,  from  a  letter  written  by  Mrs. 
Parker  about  the  voyage  to  America  in  1892,  incident- 
ally mentions  an  important  work  assigned  Dr.  Parker 
by  the  bishop  in  charge  of  India : 

In  1892  we  sailed  from  Calcutta.  Bishop  Thoburn 
had  appointed  Mr.  Parker  superintendent  of  the  work- 
in  Malaysia.  We  had  a  few  days  in  Rangoon,  and 
after  that  Mr.  Parker  held  the  annual  meeting  in  Sin- 
gapore. From  Hongkong  we  went  to  Foochow,  meet- 
ing missionaries  at  Swatow  and  Amoy.  While  in 
Foochow  we  stopped  with  the  family  of  Dr.  Sites, 
where  we  saw  their  work  and  talked  much  of  our  work- 
in  India.  Dr.  Gracey,  a  classmate  of  Mr.  Parker's  in 
Concord,  was  United  States  consul  there  then,  and  in- 
vited all  the  missionaries  to  meet  us  at  his  home,  when 
Mr.  Parker  was  asked  to  tell  them  of  our  work  in 
India.  From  Foochow  we  went  to  Shanghai,  where 
we  stayed  some  days,  and  where  we  met  about  a  hun- 
dred missionaries,  many  of  whom  were  from  the  in- 
terior and  were  waiting  for  the  river  to  become  free 
of  ice  so  the  steamers  could  go  on  up.  Mr.  Parker  was 
asked  to  speak  here  also.  At  Kobe  we  visited  Rev.  and 

245 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Mrs.  Lambuth,  missionaries  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  South.  At  Tokio  and  Yokohama  we  met 
our  own  missionaries,  two  of  whom  went  on  with  us 
to  General  Conference. 

Dr.  Parker's  presidency  of  the  Malaysia  Mission 
Conference  was  very  satisfactory  to  the  missionaries 
working  there,  and  the  missionaries  in  China  who  came 
in  contact  with  him  were  much  refreshed  and  encour- 
aged by  his  cheerful  optimism  and  helpful  sympathy. 

During  his  short  sojourn  in  America  he  was  con- 
stantly speaking  in  public  and  in  private,  doing  all  he 
could  to  increase  interest  in  missions  in  general  and  to 
get  help  for  India.  But  he  was  always  in  a  hurry  to 
get  back  to  his  work,  and  the  following,  from  a  letter 
written  just  after  landing  from  his  return  trip  in  1892, 
gives  a  glimpse  of  his  love  for  India  and  his  desire  to 
be  back  among  those  for  whom  he  labored : 

Our  captain  told  us  we  would  land  Tuesday  morn- 
ing, but  he  soon  talked  of  Tuesday  noon  and  then  of 
Tuesday  evening.  We,  however,  did  not  get  our  ship 
into  dock  on  Tuesday  at  all,  but  at  nine  at  night  we 
came  to  anchor  out  in  the  harbor.  Our  kind  Bombay 
agent  had  his  man  aboard  with  a  letter  in  a  few  mo- 
ments, and  we  asked,  "What  time  does  the  train  for 
Lucknow  leave?"  "At  ten — just  one  hour."  "Can 
we  catch  that  train  ?"  "Yes ;  I  have  a  boat  and  can  get 
you  there."  "At  this  time  of  night  can  you  get  me 
money  for  my  check?"  "I  can  get  you  enough  money 
for  your  tickets  and  can  send  you  the  balance."  "All 
right;  make  for  the  train."  The  customs  officer  was 
aboard  by  this  time  and  passed  our  luggage  and  we 
pulled  for  the  landing  nearest  the  depot.  All  went 
well.  Our  agent  borrowed  money  for  us  at  the  station 
and  secured  good  accommodations  on  the  through  car- 
riage for  Lucknow.  We  made  our  beds  and  were  soon 

246 


THE  OUDH  DISTRICT 

moving  rapidly  through  the  coast  mountains  for  the 
plains  of  India.  All  night,  all  the  next  day  and  the 
next  night  we  rolled  on,  and  on  the  second  morning 
we  ran  in  to  the  magnificent  depot  at  Cawnpore,  the 
first  station  iii  our  North  India  Mission.  Here  friends 
met  us,  and  we  spent  the  time  set  apart  for  breakfast  in 
talking  of  work  and  changes.  Our  through  carriage 
was  changed  to  another  road  and  we  were  soon  off  for 
Lucknow,  as  thankful  and  happy  as  mortals  can  be  in 
this  life.  At  one  in  the  afternoon  our  train  drew  into 
the  depot  and  there  were  the  missionaries  from  the  col- 
leges, the  publishing  house,  and  the  ladies'  home,  with 
college  students,  all  to  bid  us  welcome.  How  different 
from  the  old  time — when  we  worked  our  way  up  coun- 
try to  begin  work  in  a  place  where  no  one  welcomed 
the  missionary !  We  were  now  taken  possession  of  and 
driven  to  Residency  Hill,  near  our  college,  where  many 
of  the  friends  had  been  invited  to  lunch  with  us.  Our 
"home  coming"  in  dear  old  Vermont  was  blessed  in- 
deed, and  this  second  "home  coming"  was  equally 
blessed ;  for  is  not  this  our  work  ? 

247 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


VI.    Fourth  Term  of  Service—  J  897-  \  900 


CHAPTER  I. — THE  BAREILLY  DISTRICT 

DR.  AND  MRS.  PARKER  made  their  fifth  voyage  from 
America  to  India  near  the  close  of  the  year  1896. 
Leaving  New  York  September  23  they  reached  Bom- 
bay October  20;  a  journey  of  twenty-seven  days  only, 
being  a  little  over  one  fifth  of  the  time  spent  in  their 
first  voyage,  in  1859. 

At  Lucknow  Conference  of  January  7-12,  1897,  Dr. 
Parker  was  appointed  to  the  Bareilly  District,  with  his 
residence  at  Shahjahanpur,  midway  between  Morad- 
abad  and  Lucknow.  The  Bareilly  District  comprised 
the  civil  districts  of  Budaun  and  Shahjahanpur  and  part 
of  Bareilly.  It  was  part  of  the  old  Rohilkhand  District, 
which  had  now  become  four  districts,  two  of  these  being 
in  charge  of  native  presiding  elders.  Dr.  Parker's  dis- 
trict was  divided  into  twenty  circuits,  and  had  within 
its  boundaries  two  large  orphanages,  three  boarding 
schools,  and  the  Theological  Seminary.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  Budaun  and  Shahjahanpur  all  of  the  circuits 
of  the  district  were  in  charge  of  native  ministers. 
There  were  about  ten  thousand  church  members,  a 
Christian  community  of  over  fourteen  thousand,  and 
four  hundred  and  eleven  paid  mission  agents  in  the 
employ  of  both  societies.  The  presiding  elder's  report 
presented  to  Conference  at  the  close  of  the  year  1897 
gives  a  clear,  concise,  yet  definite  statement  of  the  work 

he  was  doing  on  his  district  and  also  incidentally  fur- 

248 


THE  BAREILLY  DISTRICT 

nishes  valuable  information  concerning  the  condition 
of  the  native  churches.  On  this  account  the  entire  re- 
port, with  slight  abbreviations,  is  transferred  to  these 
pages : 

In  taking  up  the  work  in  this  our  old  field  again  a 
special  effort  has  been  made  to  ascertain  just  what  has 
already  been  gathered  in  and  what  is  the  condition  of 
the  converts.  Hence  each  village  was  visited  early  in 
the  year  by  the  preachers  in  charge,  and  the  name  of 
each  convert,  man,  woman,  and  child,  residing  in  that 
village  was  written  down,  arranged  under  three  heads: 
members,  probationers,  and  children.  We  ascertained 
how  many  had  been  taught  to  sing  and  pray,  and 
how  many  had  been  neglected  and  had  not  been  so 
taught.  Many  of  the  people  were  not  found  all  that 
Christians  ought  to  be,  but  in  every  place  it  was  found 
that  their  knowledge  of  Christianity  and  the  conform- 
ity of  their  lives  to  the  teachings  of  Christ  were  in  pro- 
portion to  the  teachings  they  had  received.  .  .  .  We 
were  convinced  that  the  great  need  in  building  up  this 
community  was  faithful,  persistent,  loving  teaching, 
so  that  our  people  could  intelligently  receive  Christ  and 
daily  hold  communion  with  him  in  prayer.  Hence  the 
field  of  each  preacher  in  charge  was  laid  out  into  sub- 
circuits,  and  the  name  of  each  village  and  of  each  Chris- 
tian in  that  village  written  in  a  small  register,  and 
given  to  the  preacher  who  had  supervision  of  the  sub- 
circuit,  so  that  he  would  know  just  where  each  Chris- 
tian lived  and  what  relation  that  person  bore  to  the 
Church,  whether  member  or  probationer.  Then,  as  far 
as  possible,  a  class  leader  was  appointed  for  each  vil- 
lage, the  best  man  in  the  village  being  selected  for  this 
position.  ...  A  plan  of  work  was  then  arranged,  giv- 
ing a  particular  day  for  visiting  each  village,  and  on 
the  blank  pages  of  the  register  for  that  village  the 
preacher  in  charge  was  to  enter  the  date  of  each  visit, 
and  the  number  of  people  who  were  taught,  and  to  pre- 
249 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

sent  this  book  at  each  Quarterly  Conference.  Special 
attention  was  given  to  teaching  the  leaders,  so  that  each 
could  hold  prayers  in  his  own  village  and  teach  his  peo- 
ple to  pray.  The  next  special  effort  was  to  teach  the 
Christian  people  to  sing  Christian  hymns,  and  to  in- 
struct the  probationers  so  that  they  might  be  received 
into  full  membership.  .  .  .  The  plan  is  in  no  way  new, 
but  a  reorganization,  so  that  the  men  in  charge  of  cir- 
cuits and  the  superintendent  of  the  district  could  know 
about  each  man,  woman,  and  child  all  that  was  needed. 
The  plan  accomplished  this,  and  with  good  results. 

No  man  is  appointed  a  class  leader  who  is  in  mission 
employ  in  any  way,  so  that  none  of  the  leaders  can  re- 
ceive any  remuneration  whatever  from  the  mission  or 
from  the  Church.  Our  experience  thus  far  shows  us 
that  the  plan  can  only  be  made  to  succeed  by  constant 
watching  and  persistent  working,  and  the  class  leaders 
must  be  faithfully  taught  not  only  to  receive  Christ  and 
sing  and  pray  themselves,  but  to  lead  others  and  hold 
little  meetings  among  the  people.  They  will  have  to  be 
urged  over  and  over  again  to  attend  the  Quarterly 
Conferences;  to  aid  in  collecting  contributions  for  the 
pastors ;  to  stand  by  their  Christian  teachers  in  every- 
thing; to  keep  their  people  from  old  heathenish  customs. 

This  plain,  practical  report  gives  the  conclusions  of 
thirty-five  years'  experience  in  the  work  of  bringing  the 
people  of  India  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  There  is 
no  romance  or  sentiment  about  it.  It  means  plain, 
prosy  hard  work;  work  faithfully  performed;  work 
carefully  and  constantly  supervised  by  presiding  elder 
and  preacher  in  charge.  The  plan  is  a  good  one,  but  to 
work  it  successfully  the  presiding  elders  need  to  be  as 
untiring  in  industry  as  the  man  who  devised  it,  and 
the  ministers  in  charge  of  circuits  need  to  be  as  diligent 
as  men  become  who  know  that  not  only  the  eye  of  God, 

but  the  eye  of  a  watchful  presiding  elder  is  upon  them. 

250 


THE  BAREILLY  DISTRICT 

Unfortunately  the  continued  reductions  in  mission  in- 
come the  past  decade  have  so  weakened  the  staff  of 
workers  that  proper  supervision  has  become  impossible, 
and  the  fruit  of  past  years  of  toil  is  sinking  back  into 
the  earth  unharvested. 

The  concluding  paragraph  of  Dr.  Parker's  report 
refers  to  a  peculiar  form  of  missionary  effort  which  is 
attracting  more  and  more  attention,  and  in  which,  as 
in  so  many  other  methods  of  work,  Dr.  Parker  was  a 
prominent  and  efficient  leader : 

In  our  first  round  of  quarterly  meetings  we  gave  two 
or  three  full  days  to  each  place,  and  large  numbers  of 
people  in  each  circuit  came  to  the  meetings  and  many 
were  greatly  blessed.  In  these  meetings  we  not  only 
tried  to  lead  the  workers  and  the  people  into  closer  re- 
lations with  Christ,  but  tried  to  show  the  workers  how 
to  -teach  the  people  and  lead  them  to  Christ.  Our 
workers'  meeting  in  April  was  a  means  of  helping 
many.  The  important  phases  of  the  work  and  of  our 
difficulties  were  thoroughly  canvassed,  and  all  were 
made  stronger  by  thus  praying  and  counseling  together 
for  a  week.  In  our  last  quarterly  meetings  all  these 
methods  of  work  were  pushed  forward  on  every  cir- 
cuit and  meetings  for  deepening  spiritual  life  were  held. 

Dr.  Parker's  place  on  the  trustee  boards  of  both  col- 
leges in  Lucknow  and  also  of  the  Naini  Tal  schools 
brought  him  many  duties  quite  distinct  from  his  dis- 
trict work.  Three  days  of  the  month  of  May,  1897, 
are  covered  by  this  entry :  "Writing  letters  these  days 
for  colleges;  some  for  Mr.  Bare,  some  for  Miss  Tho- 
burn.  Want  to  get  some  aid  to  help  out."  Though 
now  a  confirmed  "old  Indian,"  and  being  also  sixty- 
five  years  of  age,  he  had  not  left  off  his  early  habit  of 

working  with  his  hands.    An  American  windmill  pump 

251 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

had  been  put  in  the  well  of  the  Shahjahanpur  garden, 
and  on  the  24th  of  May  he  took  up  the  pump  and  put 
things  to  rights.  The  same  day  he  notes  that  they  com- 
menced putting  a  roof  on  the  guest  room  of  the  mission 
house  and  sent  out  eighteen  thousand  rupees  famine 
relief.  The  famine  of  1896-97  pressed  heavily  on  ter- 
ritory occupied  by  the  missions  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  Dr.  Parker  was  treasurer  of  the 
funds  sent  out  through  Dr.  Leonard,  Missionary  Secre- 
tary. The  pressure  of  work  did  not  make  him  forget 
the  children,  and  on  the  27th  and  29th  of  May  he 
mentions  their  visit  to  a  balloon  ascension,  the  first 
attempt  being  a  failure. 

The  Central  Conference  of  1896  had  given  to  Dr. 
Parker  and  Mr.  Buck  the  duty  of  preparing  a  revised 
edition  of  the  Discipline  in  Urdu.  On  the  I7th  of 
August  he  left  Shahjahanpur  for  a  month's  residence 
at  Almora,  in  the  mountains.  While  marching  through 
the  hills  and  at  Almora  most  of  his  time  was  given  to 
this  work.  The  task  was,  first,  to  select  such  portions 
of  the  Discipline  of  1896  as  concerned  the  churches  in 
India,  and,  secondly,  to  put  them  into  clear,  simple 
Urdu  such  as  the  uneducated  could  easily  understand. 

Returning  from  Almora  on  the  4th  of  October  he 
left  home  for  Calcutta,  to  take  charge  of  the  Dasahra 
services  there,  October  7-10.  The  Calcutta  District 
Conference  followed  the  Dasahra  meetings,  and  the 
Calcutta  missionaries  were  very  glad  to  have  the  pres- 
ence and  counsels  of  the  veteran  presiding  elder  from 
Rohilkhand.  The  District  Conference  was  followed  by 
the  All  India  Epworth  League  Convention,  October 
14-17.  Dr.  Parker,  being  president  of  the  League  in 

India,  was  chairman  of  the  convention,  and  in  addition 

252 


THE  BAREILLY  DISTRICT 

to  other  duties  had  charge  of  the  "question  drawer," 
and  on  the  closing  day  gave  an  address  on  an  assigned 
topic,  "The  Importance  of  Work  Among  the  Young." 
On  the  8th  of  November,  1897,  Bishop  Foss  reached 
India  on  an  official  visit,  according  to  the  General  Con- 
ference plan  which  required  one  visit  in  each  quadren- 
nium  from  a  general  superintendent.  Dr.  John  F. 
Goucher  accompanied  Bishop  Foss,  being  deputed  by 
the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society  "to 
familiarize  himself  with  the  facts  and  questions  of 
finance,"  and  also  to  "study  the  educational  work  in 
India."  Dr.  Parker's  leading  position  in  his  own  Con- 
ference, and  his  personal  association  with  Dr.  Goucher 
in  the  "Goucher  schools"  work,  naturally  made  him  the 
companion  of  these  official  visitors  during  much  of  the 
time  they  were  within  the  bounds  of  the  North  India 
Conference.  Bishop  Foss's  visit  was  a  novelty  in  the 
history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India. 
An  official  visit  made  by  a  general  superintendent  to 
territory  under  the  administration  of  a  missionary 
bishop  might  possibly  develop  difficulties  in  administra- 
tion and  cause  friction  between  the  local  and  the  gen- 
eral superintendent.  Neither  Bishop  Foss  nor  Bishop 
Thoburn  had  any  precedent  for  their  guidance.  But 
the  good  sense  and  fraternal  feeling  of  the  two  men 
was  sufficient,  and  if  there  was  any  friction  between 
them  it  was  kept  a  profound  secret.  The  experiment 
was  a  complete  success,  and  as  these  words  are  written, 
early  in  the  year  1902,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  India  is  looking  forward  with  pleasant  anticipation 
to  the  second  of  these  quadrennial  visits,  Bishop  War- 
ren having  lx?en  designated  for  the  work. 

When  the  North  India  Conference  of  January  5-11, 
253 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

1898,  met  in  Bareilly,  the  first  item  of  business  trans- 
acted by  the  Conference  was  the  unanimous  adoption 
of  the  following  resolution,  which  was  presented  by 
Dr.  Parker : 

Resolved,  That  we  do  hereby  express  to  the  Rev. 
Bishop  Cyrus  D.  Foss,  our  president,  our  very  great 
satisfaction  at  receiving  this  official  visit  from  him  to 
our  field  of  labor  and  to  our  Annual  Conference.  We 
give  him  a  hearty  welcome  to  India,  to  our  homes,  to 
our  institutions,  and  to  our  Conference,  and  we  pray 
that  his  wise  counsels  while  with  us,  and  his  repre- 
sentation of  our  work  when  he  shall  return  to  America, 
may  prove  of  great  benefit  to  our  entire  Mission. 

Dr.  Parker  also  presented  the  following  resolution, 
in  which  he  expressed  not  only  his  own  personal  rec- 
ognition of  Dr.  Goucher's  valuable  assistance  in  the 
work  of  the  Missionary  Society  in  many  lands,  but  also 
gave  the  Conference  an  opportunity  of  showing  how 
much  they  valued  the  help  which  for  many  years  they 
had  received  from  him : 

Resolved,  That  we  heartily  welcome  the  Rev.  Dr. 
J.  F.  Goucher,  of  Baltimore,  India,  China,  and  Japan, 
to  our  Mission  and  to  our  Conference.  His  name  has 
been  familiar  to  us  for  many  years,  and  we  now  rejoice 
greatly  in  welcoming  him  to  his  and  our  field  of  labor 
and  to  the  inspection  of  his  work.  All  that  we  can  offer 
is  at  his  disposal.  We  respectfully  request  Dr.  Goucher 
to  participate  freely  in  all  the  business  of  our  Confer- 
ence, giving  us  suggestions  and  information  as  oppor- 
tunity may  offer.  We  also  welcome  Dr.  Goucher  as  the 
representative  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  we  invite  him  to  attend  and  give 
us  his  aid  in  the  meetings  of  our  Finance  Committee, 
and  to  confer  with  our  Board  of  Auditors,  that  we  may 
receive  the  benefit  of  his  advice  concerning  financial 
methods  of  work. 

254 


THE  BAREILLY  DISTRICT 

Nothing  worthy  of  special  notice  here  took  place 
during  the  Conference  session  of  1898.  The  minutes 
of  the  session  show  that  Dr.  Parker  presented  an  im- 
portant resolution  on  educational  work,  which  was  sent 
on  to  the  Central  Conference.  This  resolution  sought 
to  secure  greater  unity  and  efficiency  in  the  educational 
work  of  the  Church  in  India,  and  recommended  the 
appointment  of  a  General  Secretary  of  Education  for 
all  India,  and  also  the  formation  of  Boards  of  Educa- 
tion in  each  Conference,  the  secretaries  of  which  shall 
constitute  a  Central  Board  of  Education  for  Southern 
Asia.  The  Central  Conference  at  its  next  session,  held 
January  20-25,  1898,  in  Lucknow,  adopted  these  sug- 
gestions. The  Central  Board  of  Education  came  into 
existence,  but  the  General  Secretary  of  Education  has 
not  been  found. 

Dr.  Parker  was  reappointed  to  the  Bareilly  District 
for  the  year  1898.  A  convention  of  presiding  elders 
and  preachers  in  charge  was  held  in  April  of  this  year 
at  Shahjahanpur.  Dr.  Parker  was  the  leader  in  this 
movement,  and  the  meeting  was  perhaps  the  most  sat- 
isfactory and  helpful  conference  of  mission  workers  in 
the  history  of  the  North  India  Conference.  The  fol- 
lowing extracts  from  the  presiding  elder's  report  for  the 
year  shows  that  his  chief  attention  was  given  to  Chris- 
tianizing the  converts,  and  that  his  plans  of  work  were 
very  specific  and  practical.  He  knew  the  condition  of 
the  people  and  he  knew  how  to  deal  with  them : 

The  special  work  of  the  district  has  been  on  three 
lines : 

i.  We  have  everywhere  laid  special  stress  on  having 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  taught  to  sing  and  pray. 
The  condition  of  the  village  and  muhallah  people  in 

255 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

this  respect  is  very  unsatisfactory.  In  their  old  religion 
these  people  never  prayed,  and  hence  the  habit  of  prayer 
must  be  acquired. 

2.  Our  second  special  effort  has  been  to  appoint  and 
train  leaders  in  each  village,  and  induce  them  to  hold 
a  little  service  of  prayer  with  their  people  every  even- 
ing.   If  we  can  persuade  these  leaders  to  call  together 
their  people  who  live  in  the  same  court  every  evening 
and  have  one  song  and  one  prayer  the  influence  on  the 
people  will  be  very  great.    On  these  men  we  must  also 
chiefly  rely  for  aid  in  removing  idolatrous  customs  and 
introducing  Christian  customs,  including  the  day  of 
rest  and  giving  for  the  support  of  the  pastor.     There 
are  842   leaders   in  the  Bareilly  District,   and  none 
among  them  receive  any  pay  from  the  Mission. 

3.  Our  third   specialty  has  been   an   effort  to  se- 
cure something  toward  the  support  of  the  pastor  from 
every  Christian  family  in  the  district.     Had  the  paid 
workers  of  the  Mission  all  been  faithful  in  this  respect 
we  would  have  been  more  successful  here.    The  lack  of 
sympathy  for  a  scheme  of  self-support  which  is  shown 
by  many  paid  workers  is  a  great  hindrance  to  progress. 

"The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  by  observation." 
It  is  "line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept."  If  in  ten 
thousand  village  courtyards  ten  thousand  simple  men 
collect  the  people  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  teach  them 
to  sing  a  Christian  hymn  and  offer  a  Christian  prayer, 
the  Church  of  Christ  will  so  fasten  its  roots  into  the 
soil  of  India  that  its  future  growth  and  stability  will  be 
assured.  Dr.  Parker  knew  that  the  millions  of  India 
dwell  in  the  villages  of  the  land,  and  he  also  knew  that 
if  he  could  win  the  villages  for  Christ  the  cities  would 

soon  follow. 

256 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE 


CHAPTER  II. — LIGHT  AND  SHADE 

NORTH  INDIA  is  a  land  of  contradictions.  Hot 
though  the  climate  is,  yet  people  suffer  greater  physical 
discomfort  from  cold  than  in  Canada.  When  Bishop 
Foss  was  in  India  he  wore  a  heavy  overcoat,  a  sola  hat 
to  protect  his  head  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  carried 
a  white  umbrella.  The  land  and  all  pertaining  to  it 
appear  to  be  a  mixture  of  high  civilization  and  barba- 
rism, of  convenience  and  inconvenience,  of  luxury  and 
privation,  of  comfort  and  discomfort;  a  land  to  be  loved 
and  anathematized.  Dr.  Parker  lived  and  moved  and 
had  his  being  in  India;  and  the  conditions  peculiar  to 
that  country  must  be  remembered  by  those  who  would 
intelligently  apprehend  the  story  of  his  life.  It  is  very 
evident  that  he  lived  a  strenuous  life,  but  so  kaleido- 
scopic in  character  that  the  reader  may  sometimes  well 
ask,  "Is  this  a  laboring  man  or  a  minister?  is  he  a  mis- 
sionary to  wild  sea-islanders  or  pastor  of  a  city 
church  ?"  The  story  of  the  year  1899  will  be  in  his  own 
words,  so  far  as  possible,  copied  from  his  journal,  since 
in  this  way  the  most  vivid  picture  can  be  given. 

The  North  India  Conference  of  1899  met  at  Shah- 
jahanpur,  the  residence  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Parker,  Jan- 
uary 4-10.  Houses  sufficient  for  lodging  the  large 
numbers  attending  the  sessions  are  not  available  at  that 
place,  and  a  number  of  tents  were  put  up.  But  the 
winter  rains  came,  the  cold  was  intense,  and  the  work 
of  making  everybody  comfortable  was  a  heavy  burden 
upon  these  New  Englanders,  who,  although  they  had 
now  been  forty  years  in  the  country,  had  never  fully 

(17)  257 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

learned  the  India  trick  of  leaving  everything  to  servants. 
The  principal  railway  trains  pass  through  Shahjahan- 
pur  at  very  late  hours,  and  on  the  sixth  day  of  the  Con- 
ference Dr.  Parker  wrote  in  his  journal,  "We  are  very 
tired ;  our  trains  come  in  so  late  we  have  not  had  a  full 
night's  rest  this  week."  It  was  in  other  respects,  too, 
a  hard  Conference  for  Dr.  Parker.  He  writes:  "We 
lose  three  native  ministers  this  year  through  bad  con- 
duct. Very  sad  indeed.  Two  of  the  men  withdrew 
and  we  escaped  the  worry  of  trials.  One  was  tried  and 
partially  cleared.  I  was  kept  occupied  with  this  trial 
every  moment  for  some  days."  The  financial  condi- 
tion, too,  was  difficult.  The  cut  in  missionary  appro- 
priations made  it  necessary  to  reduce  expenses  more 
than  sixteen  thousand  rupees.  The  real  burden  of 
adjusting  finances  fell  upon  the  presiding  elders,  and 
Dr.  Parker  had  not  only  the  care  of  his  own  large  dis- 
trict, but  being  the  confidential  adviser  of  the  three 
native  presiding  elders  a  part  of  their  burdens  fell  on 
his  shoulders.  At  this  Conference  he  was  reelected  cor- 
responding secretary  but  resigned,  as  he  had  already 
more  than  enough  work.  He  was  reappointed  to  the 
Bareilly  District. 

The  day  after  the  Conference  closed  Dr.  Parker 
writes  in  his  journal :  "Bishop  Thoburn  left  us  this 
evening.  I  went  to  the  station  to  see  him  off.  He  feels 
very  strongly  that  he  should  have  help  in  supervision. 
He  talks  very  freely  that  he  wishes  me  appointed.  I 
have  no  personal  ambitions  to  serve  or  to  be  served,  but 
I  do  wish  the  work  well  cared  for." 

The  Northwest  India  Conference  session  com- 
menced on  the  1 2th,  and  Dr.  Parker  spent  one  day  with 

the  Conference  at  Aligarh.    He  writes : 

258 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE 

Jan.  13.  Arrived  5:30  A.  M.  at  Aligarh;  remained 
at  the  station  until  daylight.  Then  went  to  the  camp ; 
found  an  empty  tent  and  took  possession.  Saw  a 
servant  carrying  tea  and  toast  and  asked  for  a  cup 
for  myself.  Good  day  with  the  brethren.  Good  time 
at  meetings.  Left  Aligarh  9:15  P.  M.,  reached  home  at 
4:35  A.  M. 

Other  entries  follow.  The  journal  of  the  following 
months  affords  these  glimpses  of  his  activity : 

Jan.  21.  Helped  Mrs.  Parker  on  her  W.  F.  M.  S. 
accounts  nearly  all  day.  Her  many  Branches  giving 
money  and  the  many  circuits  receiving  money  must  all 
agree  in  totals.  There  was  a  slight  difference  between 
the  totals  given  and  the  totals  of  circuits  receiving,  and 
it  took  several  hours  to  find  the  mistake  that  caused  the 
trouble. 

Jan.  25.  Drove  with  Mrs.  Parker  21  miles  to  Jalala- 
bad. Quarterly  Conference  and  meeting.  Work  diffi- 
cult; workers  weak;  yet  was  encouraged.  Had  an- 
other meeting  at  evening,  Mrs.  Parker  meeting  in 
another  place  with  others.  The  people  want  a  chapel. 
I  told  them  if  they  would  put  up  the  walls  I  would  put 
on  the  roof  and  put  in  the  doors. 

Jan.  30.  Drove  with  Mrs.  Parker  to  Mohamdi.  Got 
in  about  noon.  Quarterly  Conference.  All  present. 
Preaching  service  in  the  evening.  Good  meeting.  All 
witnessed  for  Jesus.  Holy  Spirit  present  to  help  and 
save.  A  strange  case  happened  here  which  troubled 
me  much.  Two  brethren  fell  out  with  each  other,  and 
one  accused  the  other  of  giving  him  poison,  which  of 
course  was  denied.  One  has  gone  to  the  theological 
seminary.  The  other  is  in  mission  employ  here.  I  fear 
that  both  have  told  a  lie  and  both  denied  the  truth.  It 
troubles  me  to  have  such  men  in  our  work,  as  they  can 
never  receive  any  power.  Came  back  to  Shahjahanpur 
through  a  very  strong  wind  and  clouds  of  dust.  It  was 
hard  for  Mrs.  Parker  and  not  easy  for  me. 

259 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Feb.  2.  Quarterly  meeting  at  Pawayan.  Twenty- 
six  village  class  leaders  and  sixteen  women  present. 
Had  a  long  talk  about  idolatrous  practices  among  the 
Christians.  All  declare  there  are  no  more  idols  in  the 
people's  houses.  They  are  still  weak  in  regard  to  child 
marriage. 

Feb.  4.  In  camp  at  Tilhar.  Quarterly  Conference 
at  8  A.  M.  All  say  that  the  people  have  thrown  away 
their  idols  and  dug  down  the  worshiping  platforms. 
The  fight  against  idol  worship  among  Christians  seems 
to  be  real  and  strong.  A  long  preaching  service  in  the 
afternoon,  and  another  in  the  town  in  the  evening. 

Feb.  5.  Sunday.  Love  feast  and  long  talk  to  the 
workers  in  the  morning.  Meeting  among  chumars 
after  breakfast;  preached  in  church  in  the  afternoon. 
Am  a  little  tired  to-night.  God  has  helped  me  all  day. 

Feb.  6.  Wrote  letters  at  Tilhar  until  noon.  Sent 
off  cart  with  tents.  Drove  17  miles,  to  Khudagunj. 
Reached  Nawada  at  nightfall.  Pitched  tent  by  lan- 
tern light.  Rainy  day ;  damp  and  dark  in  grove.  Tent 
and  ponies  settled,  went  for  a  meeting.  House  full. 
A  good  meeting.  Storm  at  night. 

Feb.  9.  Quarterly  Conference  at  Faridpur.  A  weak 
circuit,  helpers  weak.  There  is  not  the  interest  in  the 
work  I  would  wish.  Made  some  changes  in  workers. 
Dimissed  one  man  and  set  him  to  farming.  Helped 
him  with  Rs.  15  for  oxen. 

Feb.  10.  Drove  into  Bareilly  this  morning.  Met 
Brothers  Bare,  Buck,  Hoskins,  D.  Buck,  and  Dr.  T.  J. 
Scott.  Organized  a  committee  for  trying  to  get  some 
aid  for  our  institutions  out  of  the  Twenty  Million 
Twentieth  Century  Fund. 

Feb.  13.  Quarterly  Conference  and  other  meetings 
at  Bhamora  Circuit.  This  is  a  good  circuit ;  very  good. 
The  preacher  in  charge,  Nizam  Ali,  is  supported  by  a 
lady  in  Sacramento,  Cal.  He  is  an  efficient  man.  He 
is  at  present  working  hard  to  build  a  chapel  and  also  to 
break  up  idolatrous  social  customs  and  introduce  Chris- 
tian ways. 

260 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE 

Feb.  1 8.  Buclaun.  Quarterly  Conference  two  hours. 
Discussion  of  all  kinds  of  heathenish  customs  which 
Christians  should  be  forbidden  to  follow.  In  one  part 
of  the  city  a  new  idol  and  worshiping  place  had  been 
built  and  it  was  feared  Christians  were  involved  in  the 
business. 

Feb.  22.  Drove  to  Sahiswan.  This  is  an  old,  old 
city,  and  Christians  have  been  here  many  years.  The 
work  has  not  been  satisfactory  for  some  time.  Persons 
who  have  lost  their  position  in  mission  work  have  set- 
tled in  the  place,  and  much  dissatisfaction  with  the  mis- 
sion has  naturally  found  a  home  here. 

March  8.  Arose  very  early,  got  tent  off  by  daylight, 
from  Kakrala  for  Dataganj,  and  set  off  ourselves  on  a 
long,  difficult,  sandy  march.  Stopped  three  miles  out 
and  held  meetings  with  men  and  women.  Got  into 
Dataganj  in  heat  of  the  day.  Full  meeting  in  the  even- 
ing. Lodged  in  engineer's  bungalow. 

March  10.  Drove  to  Kherabajhera  for  a  day  of 
rest.  Stopped  in  schoolhouse.  School  all  run  down 
and  place  very  discouraging.  No  real  work  done. 
Mrs.  Parker  drove  six  miles  to  railway  station  and 
went  home. 

March  u.  Kherabajhera  Quarterly  Conference. 
Held  meetings.  Was  very  tired,  and  depressed  withal, 
and  in  afternoon  drove  to  Tilhar  railway  station  and 
reached  home  at  10  P.  M. 

Many  of  these  simple  entries  mean  much  more  than 
is  on  the  surface.  His  tent  was  for  the  time  his  home. 
So  when  he  writes  that  he  "got  tent  off  by  day- 
light" it  means  that  he  was  up,  packed  up  books,  papers, 
clothing,  bedding,  and  was  out  of  the  tent  in  time  for 
it  to  be  struck  and  loaded  on  the  cart  before  sunrise. 
And  sometime  between  getting  up  and  sending  off  the 
cart  the  breakfast  had  to  be  prepared  and  eaten,  things 
packed  up,  and  the  kitchen  and  pantry  placed  upon  the 

cart  along  with  the  tent.    A  man  who  loved  ease  would 

261 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

not  attempt  such  an  exploit,  and  only  a  man  of  energy 
and  system,  who  knew  how  to  push  things  and  who 
was  not  afraid  to  take  hold  w'ith  his  own  hands  and 
help,  could  possibly  succeed  in  getting  his  camp  off  by 
daylight.  And  when  the  march  is  long,  the  road  heavy, 
and  the  slow,  weary  oxen  bring  the  cart  to  the  camp- 
ing ground  late  in  the  afternoon,  the  situation  is  almost 
as  difficult.  The  missionary's  home  and  all  the  accus- 
tomed comforts  and  necessaries  of  civilized  life  are  on 
that  cart.  They  must  be  unloaded,  the  tent  pitched, 
bedding  and  furniture  and  office  and  kitchen  belongings 
arranged,  a  fire  kindled,  and  a  meal  prepared  before 
the  tired  missionary  breaks  his  fast,  his  last  meal  hav- 
ing been  eaten  under  the  stars  in  the  early  dawn.  Apart 
from  the  moral  and  spiritual  conflicts  that  pertain  to 
life  in  such  surroundings,  the  physical  discomforts  are 
no  light  matter;  and  when  the  man  who  lives  such  a  life 
is  nearing  his  threescore  and  ten  such  physical  hard- 
ships are  seriously  intensified. 

Or,  if  the  constant  conflict  with  idolatry  among  the 
Christians  is  considered,  it  will  be  seen  that  these  refer- 
ences to  idol  worship  among  the  people  are  hints  of  a 
desperate  contest,  and  a  contest  that  often  seemed  to  be 
hopeless.  It  is  as  hard  to  wean  ordinary  converts  from 
fear  of  idols,  and  prevent  them  from  occasionally  re- 
sorting to  idols  for  help  in  moments  of  extreme  danger, 
as  it  is  to  make  some  European  and  American  Chris- 
tians cast  aside  the  feeling  that  Friday  is  an  unlucky 
day  and  thirteen  at  table  an  omen  of  disaster.  But, 
most  of  all,  this  honest,  true,  earnest,  hopeful  mission- 
ary was  tried  when  mission  agents  proved  unworthy 
or  inefficient.  The  story  of  the  incapable  man  whom 

the  presiding  elder  sent  back  to  the  plow  he  should 

262 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE 

never  have  left,  and  then  the  gift  of  fifteen  rupees  to 
help  him  buy  oxen,  is  full  of  pathetic  interest.  How 
many  such  there  were  to  vex  the  soul  of  this  devoted 
man!  And  no  one  will  ever  know  how  many  of  his 
own  hard-earned  rupees  Dr.  Parker  gave  to  men  of 
this  sort,  to  keep  them  from  discouragement  and  to 
save  them  to  the  Church. 

At  the  Shahjahanpur  Conference  Bishop  Thoburn 
had  asked  Dr.  Parker  to  go  to  Pauri  and  inspect  the 
industrial  mission  at  Gadoli  under  charge  of  Dr.  Ashe. 
Leaving  Shahjahanpur  at  9  P.  M.  on  the  third  of  April 
he  reached  Kothdwara,  the  railway  terminus  at  the  foot 
of  the  hills,  and  by  seven  the  next  morning,  in  company 
with  Mr.  Messmore,  set  off  at  once  up  hill.  This  Pauri 
trip  of  eighteen  days  was  a  pleasant  and  restful  break 
in  the  year's  work.  Eight  days  in  the  saddle,  going 
and  returning,  with  ten  days  at  Pauri,  mainly  spent  in 
moving  about  among  the  mountains  at  a  delightful  sea- 
son of  the  year,  when  many  of  the  hillsides  were  bril- 
liant with  spring  flowers,  all  together  made  the  eighteen 
days  one  continued  picnic,  free  from  care  or  annoyance 
of  any  kind.  Pauri  is  never  more  charming  than  in 
April,  and  the  white  mission  house,  facing  the  mountain 
snows,  with  its  gable  end  covered  by  a  climbing  rose 
tree  then  in  full  bloom,  seemed  a  paradise  to  the  men 
who  had  come  up  from  the  heat  and  dust  of  the  plains. 
On  the  first  day  of  the  return  trip  Dr.  Parker  began 
talking  of  his  early  life  at  St.  Johnsbury,  and  the  pros- 
perity which  had  crowned  his  attempts  to  have  a  church 
built  and  a  society  organized.  As  he  indulged  in  rem- 
iniscences of  events  which  were  now  hidden  by  the  haze 
of  more  than  forty  years,  his  joy  in  the  life  he  had  lived 

and  his  satisfaction  from  the  permanent  good  results 

263 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

of  work  he  had  planned  were  so  evident  that  his  travel- 
ing companion  envied  him  his  good  fortune,  for  he 
seemed  in  truth  to  be,  what  is  so  seldom  found  on  earth, 
a  really  happy  man. 

Early  in  the  seventies  the  missionaries  of  Rohilkhand 
began  giving  special  attention  to  the  evangelization  of 
people  in  the  "sweeper"  caste.  This  low  caste  seemed 
to  be  very  accessible  to  missionary  effort.  They  desired 
relief  from  the  serious  social  disadvantages  of  their 
position.  They  saw  that  if  they  became  Christians  their 
children  could  get  a  little  education,  and  many  forms  of 
industry  from  which  they  were  at  present  excluded 
would  be  open  to  them.  Thousands  of  these  people  in 
the  civil  districts  of  Bijnor,  Moradabad,  Budaun,  and 
Bareilly  became  Christians.  Dr.  Hoskins,  at  Budaun. 
especially  pushed  this  "sweeper"  work,  but  all  the  mis- 
sionaries in  Rohilkhand  were  in  hearty  sympathy  with 
the  movement,  and  none  was  more  earnest  or  enthu- 
siastic than  Dr.  Parker,  the  presiding  elder. 

Unfortunately  these  sweepers  could  profess  Chris- 
tianity and  receive  baptism  without  losing  caste  or 
being  in  any  way  separated  from  their  idolatrous  con- 
nections. They  had,  apparently,  everything  to  gain 
and  nothing  to  lose  by  professing  Christianity.  Among 
the  tens  of  thousands  who  did  so  there  were  many  spir- 
itually-minded men,  who  sought  in  Christianity  deliv- 
erance from  moral  degradation  as  well  as  emancipation 
from  social  disabilities,  but  as  time  went  on  the  mission- 
aries began  to  perceive  that  it  was  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that  there  are  no  barriers  in  the  way  of  sweepers  be- 
coming real  Christians.  In  this  respect  there  is  very 
little  difference  between  the  high  caste  Brahman  and 

the  low  caste  sweeper.     Either  convert  has  to  sacrifice 

264 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE 

his  livelihood  and  his  social  connections  in  much  the 
same  way.  And  with  this  discovery  came  the  knowl- 
edge that  large  numbers  of  the  sweeper  Christians  had 
in  no  real  sense  separated  themselves  from  their  heathen 
environment.  They  were  neither  cut  off  from  the 
hereditary  emoluments  associated  with  various  idola- 
trous observances  among  higher  castes,  neither  were 
they  absolved  from  performance  of  certain  duties  which 
formed  the  basis  of  these  emoluments.  They  were, 
though  nominal  Christians,  still  in  the  sweeper  guild 
or  caste,  and  the  custom  or  mandate  of  the  guild  was 
in  all  practical  matters  their  master.  The  Christian 
minister  or  missionary  taught  and  advised  them,  but 
the  word  of  the  heathen  panchayct,  or  council,  was  law, 
and  not  the  word  of  the  Christian  teacher. 

Two  great  evils  resulted  from  this  state  of  things. 
The  majority  of  the  sweeper  Christians  really  remained 
in  heathenism;  and  as  they  constituted  more  than  nine 
tenths  of  the  Christians  on  the  Rohilkhand  District  the 
terms  "Christian"  and  "Sweeper"  in  many  places  be- 
came synonymous,  and  all  native  Christians  were  in 
danger  of  being  dragged  down  to  the  sweeper  level. 
To  save  the  Church  from  these  clangers  Dr.  Parker, 
with  some  others,  advocated  the  formation  of  a  Chris- 
tian guild  or  brotherhood  within  the  church,  to  which 
those  only  would  be  admittecl  who  were  entirely  sep- 
arate from  all  idolatrous  associations  or  obligations. 
Acting  in  concert  with  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Morad- 
abad  District,  Dr.  Parker  arranged  for  a  meeting  of 
leading  missionaries  and  native  ministers  in  order  that 
the  reform  movement  might  be  inaugurated.  This  con- 
vention was  held  at  Moradabad,  April  24-27,  Bishop 

Thoburn  presiding.    The  bishop  and  some  of  the  lead- 

265 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

ing  missionaries  and  native  ministers  refused  to  believe 
the  evil  was  so  serious  as  had  been  represented,  while 
others  claimed  to  see  in  the  proposed  guild  an  attempt 
to  introduce  something  like  caste  into  the  Church,  and 
the  convention  accomplished  very  little — seriously  to 
the  disappointment  of  Dr.  Parker. 

On  the  1 6th  of  March,  1900,  Dr.  Parker  sailed  from 
Bombay  to  attend  the  General  Conference  at  Chicago, 
to  which  he  had  been  elected  delegate  and  by  whose 
voice  he  became  bishop.  On  the  i6th  of  October  of  the 
same  year  he  landed  in  Bombay  and  at  once  took  up  the 
duties  of  his  office,  but  in  less  than  one  month  he  was 
laid  aside.  In  general  terms  it  may  be  said  that  his 
active  career  in  India  closed  on  the  i6th  of  March, 
1900.  The  nine  months  preceding  his  last  departure 
from  India  appear  to  have  been  the  most  strenuous  of 
his  life.  Early  in  the  year  1899  the  Rev.  Stephen  Paul, 
native  minister  and  presiding  elder  of  the  Pilibheet 
District,  was  obliged  to  leave  his  work  on  account  of 
severe  illness,  and  on  October  5  he  died.  From  the 
middle  of  the  year  the  charge  of  this  district  fell  upon 
Dr.  Parker,  and  until  the  Conference  of  1900  he  filled 
the  office  of  presiding  elder  of  the  two  districts,  having 
an  aggregate  of  thirty-one  circuits,  many  of  them  diffi- 
cult of  access,  far  from  railways,  in  a  land  threaded  by 
numerous  unbridged  rivers.  It  is  generally  admitted 
that  the  toil  and  exposure  of  these  last  six  months  of 
1899  so  taxed  his  powers  that  he  was  unequal  to  the 
strain  of  the  following  year.  If  he  had  known  that  this 
was  to  be  the  last  year  he  would  be  permitted  to  work 
in  India  he  could  not  have  wrought  more  earnestly  and 
incessantly  than  he  did. 

The  months  of  May  and  June  are  the  hottest  of  the 
266 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE 

year  in  Northern  India.  Schools  are  closed  during 
these  months  and  many  missionaries  spend  a  part  or 
the  whole  of  this  time  in  the  hills.  But  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Parker  generally  took  their  vacation  later  in  the  year, 
and  all  through  the  hot  season  of  1899  Dr.  Parker  was 
more  than  ordinarily  active.  Our  brief  summary  of 
the  work  of  that  season  makes  no  mention  of  the  large 
correspondence  constantly  going  on  with  scores,  even 
hundreds,  of  native  ministers  and  other  mission  agents, 
nor  of  the  pulpit  work  at  Shahjahanpur,  which  at  times 
required  two  English  sermons  each  Sabbath  in  addition 
to  Hindustani  work. 

A  few  days  after  the  close  of  the  Moradabad  meeting 
Dr.  Parker  left  home  to  attend  a  workers'  meeting  on 
the  Gonda  District.  The  presiding  elder,  a  native  min- 
ister, the  Rev.  W.  Peters,  always  had  a  large  share  of 
Dr.  Parker's  confidence  and  brotherly  regard,  and  the 
younger  and  less  experienced  man  often  received  valu- 
able assistance  from  the  other.  At  this  time  Dr.  Parker 
spent  five  days  in  the  hottest  month  of  the  year  in  the 
workers'  meeting,  usually  speaking  three  times  a  clay. 
On  the  3Oth  of  the  month  he  set  out  for  Naini  Tal  to 
attend  an  important  trustees'  meeting,  and  in  addition 
found  time  to  preach  one  sermon  and  give  an  address 
to  the  boys  in  the  Oak  Openings  High  School.  He  re- 
turned from  Naini  Tal  June  3,  and  on  the  5th  went 
to  Btidaun  to  take  charge  of  the  workers'  meeting  there, 
which  was  in  session  until  the  I2th.  Then  he  returned 
to  Shahjahanpur  and  commenced  the  workers'  meeting 
there,  which  continued  until  the  i7th.  He  celebrated 
the  Fourth  of  July  by  completing  and  sending  to  the 
press  a  tract  on  "Christian  Marriage,"  which  was  an 

outcome  of  the  convention  at  Moradabad.     He  was  at 

267 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Meerut  from  the  i/th  to  the  22cl  of  July,  assisting  Mr. 
Buck  with  his  workers'  meeting,  and  thence  back  to 
Bareilly  for  the  mid-year  session  of  the  Finance  Com- 
mittee, July  25-27. 

May  and  June  of  1899  were  unusually  hot  months, 
and  the  entries  in  Dr.  Parker's  journal  show  that  he 
was  sometimes  sorely  oppressed  by  the  extreme  heat. 
It  made  life  a  burden,  and  any  kind  of  work,  particu- 
larly such  work  as  he  was  doing,  became  exceedingly 
difficult.  Of  the  Budaun  meeting  he  writes :  "In  four 
days  we  held  thirty  hours  of  meetings.  Left  for  home 
after  the  last  meeting  at  9:30  p.  M.,  arrived  at  4:30 
A.  M.  All  night  out.  Little  sleep.  It  has  been  a  very 
hot  week,  but  I  was  at  each  meeting  from  beginning 
to  end."  After  the  Shahjahanpur  meeting  he  writes : 
"It  has  been  awfully  hot  all  through  and  very  trying, 
but  we  have  held  full  seven  hours'  meetings  daily  and 
much  talking  besides.  And  again:  "Am  tired;  heat 
great.  Could  not  rest  last  night  after  preaching. 
Wrote  some  half  dozen  letters.  Weather  very  trying. 
Our  meetings  were  very  profitable.  Never  held  better 
in  all  my  experience." 

On  the  3ist  of  July  he  was  at  Lucknow  on  Press 
Committee  work.  On  the  2d  and  3d  of  August  he 
was  at  the  headquarters  of  the  Pilibheet  District  mak- 
ing arrangements  for  the  work  of  the  district.  Then 
came  the  trip  to  Almora,  in  the  hills,  returning  the 
25th  of  September.  His  health  was  not  good  while 
at  Almora;  influenza  troubled  him. 

On  the  2  ist  of  August  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  cele- 
brated the  fortieth  anniversary  of  their  first  arrival  in 
India ;  a  very  pleasant  occasion,  at  which  missionaries 

of  various   societies,   then   resting   in/»  Almora,   were 

268 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE 

present.     In  his  diary  the  following  is  written  under 
date  of  2Oth  September : 

To-day  received  a  letter  from  Bishop  Thoburn  giv- 
ing the  news  of  the  death  of  our  dear  old  superin- 
tendent, Dr.  Butler,  at  Newton,  Mass.  Dear  old  man ! 
He  did  a  great  work  for  India.  His  heart  was  large 
and  his  hand  strong,  and  he  laid  deep  and  broad  foun- 
dations for  our  Church  here.  It  was  well  that  Bishop 
Thoburn  could  attend  his  funeral.  The  doctor  con- 
tinued to  work  for  India  almost  to  the  last.  On  the 
2  ist  of  August,  three  days  after  his  death,  I  wrote  a 
long  letter  of  love  and  about  old  times.  He  was  gone 
even  before  it  was  written. 

The  Parkers  returned  from  the  hills  at  the  close  of 
September,  reaching  home  on  the  29th.  Dr.  Parker 
attended  and  took  a  leading  part  in  the  convention  of 
the  India  Sunday  School  Union  at  Cawnpore,  October 
5-10.  The  Lucknow  Dasahra  meetings  followed,  Oc- 
tober 11-15.  Dr.  Parker  was  in  charge,  and  as  simul- 
taneous meetings  in  English  and  Hindustani  were 
held  the  work  was  heavy.  Returning  from  the  Luck- 
now  meeting,  Dr.  Parker  at  once  commenced  holding 
the  Quarterly  Conferences  of  the  two  districts  under 
his  charge.  He  took  time  to  run  up  for  two  days  to 
Moradabad  and  attend  the  District  Conference  there. 
The  Bareilly  District  Conference  kept  him  busy  until 
the  2Oth  of  November,  and  next  day  he  began  his  long, 
wearisome  tour  on  the  Pilibheet  District,  closing  his 
work  there  on  the  4th  of  December.  The  next  week 
was  spent  at  home,  preparing  statistical  returns  for 
Conference,  and  on  the  I2th  he  was  at  the  District  Con- 
ference of  the  newly  formed  Hardoi  District  assisting 

the  native  minister,  Rev.  S.  Tuppcr,  who  for  the  first 

269 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

time  in  his  life  had  charge  of  a  District  Conference. 
On  the  1 8th  and  igth  of  December  he  was  at  Bareilly 
in  connection  with  the  closing  services  of  the  theo- 
logical seminary.  The  remainder  of  the  year  until 
Conference,  January  8,  1900,  was  given  to  auditing  the 
books  of  the  circuits  on  the  two  districts  and  getting 

reports  ready  for  Conference. 

270 


THE  BISHOP 


CHAPTER  III. — THE  BISHOP 

THE  close  of  the  year  1899  found  Dr.  Parker  at  his 
usual  place — the  watch  night  service  at  his  own  home. 
The  diary  for  1900  begins  with  this  entry:  "We  had  a 
good  watch  night  service  last  night.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Humphrey  were  with  us  to  the  close.  Am  clearing  up 
accounts  and  letters,  etc.,  to-day.  All  that  we  have 
to-day  belongs  to  the  Lord." 

The  thirty-sixth  session  of  the  North  India  Confer- 
ence, Dr.  Parker's  last  Conference,  was  held  in  Luck- 
now,  January  10-15,  1900.  The  financial  difficulties 
of  the  work  and  the  bishop  question  were  the  principle 
items  claiming  the  attention  of  the  Conference.  In 
electing  delegates  to  the  General  Conference  Dr.  Par- 
ker received  fifty-seven  votes  out  of  seventy-three,  and 
Dr.  Humphrey  forty-nine.  A  resolution  asking  the 
Central  Conference  to  request  the  General  Conference 
to  elect  another  Hindustani-speaking  bishop  for  India 
passed  the  Conference  by  a  vote  of  forty-four  to  ten. 
The  Central  Conference,  dealing  with  this  question, 
asked  the  General  Conference  to  elect  two  additional 
bishops  for  Southern  Asia.  At  the  close  of  a  heavy 
Sunday's  work  Bishop  Thoburn's  strength  gave  way, 
and  he  was  able  to  do  very  little  work  of  any  sort  for 
three  or  four  months. 

Dr.  Parker  was  reappointed  to  the  Bareilly  District. 
Returning  home  he  arranged  the  finances  of  the  dis- 
trict and  held  three  Quarterly  Conferences  before  going 

to  Calcutta  to  attend  the  Central  Conference.     Bishop 

271 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Thoburn,  in  broken  health,  was  barely  able  to  read  his 
address  to  the  Conference.  His  inability  increased  the 
labors  of  the  leaders  in  the  Conference  and  Dr.  Parker, 
as  usual,  had  a  busy  time.  The  report  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Episcopacy  was  a  very  colorless  production. 
Concerning  it,  Dr.  Parker  wrote  in  his  diary :  "Com- 
mittee on  Episcopacy  reported.  Said  very  little,  so  that 
all  could  agree." 

After  returning  from  Calcutta,  February  6,  Dr.  Par- 
ker devoted  a  month  to  the  round  of  Quarterly  Confer- 
ences on  his  district  and  to  making  such  arrangements 
as  were  necessary  for  maintaining  the  work  of  the  dis- 
trict during  his  contemplated  absence  of  six  months  in 
America.  These  duties  kept  him  busy  until  the  5th  of 
March,  when  the  last  Quarterly  Conference  was  held 
at  Jalalabad.  Three  days  were. spent  in  getting  ready 
to  leave.  On  Friday,  the  9th,  he  prepared  a  program 
for  the  mid-year  workers'  meeting  and  attended  a  fare- 
well gathering  managed  by  the  native  Christians.  On 
Saturday  Dr.  Dease  came  down  from  Bareilly  and  Dr. 
Parker  made  over  charge  of  his  district.  He  preached 
in  English  and  Hindustani  Sunday,  the  nth,  and  on 
the  1 2th  at  midnight,  in  company  with  Mrs.  Parker, 
left  Shahjahanpur  for  Bombay.  On  the  i6th  of  March 
he  sailed  from  India,  landing  in  New  York  on  the  I4th 
of  April,  two  weeks  before  the  opening  of  the  General 
Conference  in  Chicago. 

Dr.  Parker  went  to  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  where  the  Ver- 
mont Conference  was  then  in  session,  and  he  stayed 
three  happy  days  with  the  members  of  his  old  Confer- 
ence. Two  days  more  were  spent  at  the  old  home  in 
St.  Johnsbury,  after  which  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  re- 
turned to  New  York  and  had  the  privilege  of  attending 

272 


THE  BISHOP 

the  Ecumenical  Missionary  Conference,  where  they  met 
many  missionary  friends  from  various  lands.  At  this 
Conference  he  read  a  paper  on  "The  Training  of  Na- 
tive Helpers,"  also  spoke  in  Carnegie  Hall  at  a  mass 
meeting  in  the  interests  of  the  thousands  of  famine  suf- 
ferers in  India.  While  in  New  York  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Parker  were  the  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woolverton, 
the  generous  benefactors  of  the  Woman's  College  at 
Lucknow. 

The  General  Conference  opened  May  2  in  Chicago. 
At  this  Conference  the  missionary  interests  of  Southern 
and  Eastern  Asia  received  a  large  share  of  attention. 
The  request  of  the  Central  Conference  of  Southern 
Asia  that  two  additional  missionary  bishops  be  chosen 
was  granted,  and  on  the  first  ballot  Edwin  W.  Parker 
and  Frank  W.  Warne  were  elected.  Dr.  Parker 
received  five  hundred  and  fifty-eight  votes  out  of  six 
hundred  and  sixty-seven,  being  the  highest  proportion- 
ally and  the  largest  numerically  ever  received  by  any 
episcopal  candidate. 

The  India  missionaries,  particularly  those  who  began 
their  career  when  numbers  were  few  and  all  the  mis- 
sionaries were  like  members  of  one  family,  sustain  a 
peculiar  relationship  with  each  other ;  and  when,  by  act 
of  the  General  Conference,  one  of  the  number  is  sep- 
arated from  the  others  and  placed  in  authority  over  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  there  is  naturally  a  little  curiosity 
regarding  the  mutual  bearing  of  the  old  friends  in  the 
new  relationship.  In  Bishop  Parker's  case  there  was 
room  for  embarrassment  because  a  small  minority  in 
his  own  Conference  had  with  some  persistence  opposed 
the  plan  which  resulted  in  his  election.  The  following 
letter,  written  at  General  Conference  soon  after  the 

(18)  273 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

election  and  addressed  to  the  leader  of  this  opposition, 
shows  with  what  candor  and  fraternal  feeling  he  sought 
to  preserve  "unity  of  spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace :" 

You  of  course  have  seen  all  that  the  General  Confer- 
ence did  for  India.  The  feeling  was  very  strong  that 
this  was  the  thing  to  do,  and  not  more  than  twenty  per- 
sons voted  against  the  plan.  .  .  .  Now  that  this  is  all 
settled,  and  settled  without  personal  effort  on  my  part, 
I  am  sure  you  will  do  all  you  can  to  help  us,  as  you  ever 
have  done.  I  write  to  ask  that  you  will  continue  to  aid 
me  with  your  suggestions  and  advice,  just  as  you  have 
always  done,  and  I  will  always  do  all  I  can  to  aid  you  in 
your  work. 

This  matter  to  me  is  not  one  of  exultation  or  joy,  as 
though  a  victory  were  gained.  Wife  and  I  have  not  for 
one  moment  had  such  a  feeling.  With  us  it  is  a  call 
to  duty.  We  have  prayed  very  earnestly  that  only  the 
better  plan  should  prevail,  and  lately  we  have,  hand  in 
hand,  prayed  this  prayer :  "O  Lord,  if  there  is  a  better 
plan  for  the  work,  let  that  prevail."  To  us  it  comes, 
not  as  something  which  leads  to  exultation,  but  as  a 
burden  of  work  and  care  to  be  borne.  .  .  .  Efficient 
leadership  must  be  given  to  all  our  work  on  the  line  of 
real  success  at  every  point.  No  one  man,  or  two,  can 
bring  this  about;  it  can  only  be  done  by  working  to- 
gether all  along  the  line.  Hence  I  write  you  asking 
that  you  will  help  me — help  us — with  advice  and  sug- 
gestions, by  word  or  by  letter,  whenever  and  wherever 
you  see  opportunity.  I  am  sure  you  will  do  this.  I 
do  not  in  the  least  blame  you  for  working  against  the 
plan,  nor  against  my  election,  for  I  know  that  you 
could  only  have  done  so  for  what  seemed  to  you  as 
good  reasons.  But  now  that  God  has  evidently  called 
me  to  this  work  I  am  sure  you  will  give  me  your  co- 
operation. This  does  not  mean  that  you  agree  with 
me  always,  but  that  so  far  as  we  agree  in  opinion,  and 
so  far  as  majorities  rule,  you  will  help.  I  am  assured 
that  you  will  so  do.  I  am  not  thinking  of  position  or 

274 


THE  BISHOP 

authority  at  all,  but  of  helping  in  the  work;  an  assistant 
with  authority  to  act  when  it  is  necessary. 

On  the  25th  of  July  Bishop  Parker  wrote  the  editor 
of  the  Kaukab  i  Hind  at  Lucknow  requesting  him  to 
say  in  the  paper  that  "We  have  very  greatly  appreciated 
the  many  kind  letters  and  resolutions  and  congratula- 
tions received,  but  that  we  are  not  able  to  reply  to  each 
one  personally,  for  want  of  time.  We  hope  to  greet  all 
very  soon  in  India."  In  the  same  letter  he  writes : 

We  are  trying  to  do  something  for  India  and  wish- 
ing for  a  little  rest  among  these  green  hills.  We  cannot 
get  rest.  The  next  day  after  we  arrived  here  at  our 
old  home  they  gave  us  a  reception  which  lasted  from 
3  130  until  10  at  night.  First  a  social,  in  which  all  the 
St.  Johnsbury  churches  took  part  and  had  supper.  Then 
another  public  union  meeting  of  all  the  churches,  in- 
cluding ice  cream  and  other  refreshments.  We  felt  a 
good  deal  "received"  by  the  time  we  reached  home,  at 
10 130.  Since  then  we  have  been  busy  with  old  friends. 
We  are  going  out  to  a  farm  for  rest  soon,  but  I  have 
much  work. 

It  has  been  stated  in  a  previous  chapter  that  Bishop 
Parker's  strength  had  been  weakened  by  excessive  toil 
during  most  of  the  year  1899.  To  this  may  be  added 
that  a  multiplicity  of  engagements  during  the  months 
following  General  Conference,  up  to  the  time  of  his 
sailing  from  New  York,  prevented  his  taking  that  rest 
which,  as  the  sequel  proved,  was  absolutely  necessary 
for  the  preservation  of  his  life.  Mrs.  Parker  has  made 
the  following  brief  sketch  of  the  time  referred  to: 

While  General  Conference  was  in  session  Mr.  Par- 
ker spoke  every  Sunday,  and  often  during  the  week, 

275 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

either  in  the  interests  of  mission  work  or  on  the  famine. 
The  day  he  was  consecrated  bishop  he  spoke  twice,  in 
widely  different  parts  of  the  city.  He  remarked  that  he 
expected  that  day's  work  was  a  sample  of  the  way  he 
was  to  work  the  remainder  of  his  life.  From  Chicago 
we  went  to  Beloit,  Wis.  He  spoke  to  a  large  congre- 
gation in  northern  Illinois.  From  there  we  went  to 
North  Dakota,  where  he  spoke  to  a  large  congregation 
in  a  grove,  as  there  was  no  building  large  enough  to 
hold  the  people,  who  had  come  from  long  distances. 
His  work  there  was  followed  by  quite  an  extensive  re- 
vival. In  Larrimore  we  met  the  Methodist  preacher, 
who  had  been  taught  as  a  boy  by  some  of  our  mission- 
aries in  Lucknow.  From  there  we  went  to  Mr.  Hewes' 
father's  residence  in  Illinois,  and  Mr.  Parker  spoke  in 
the  church  there.  Then  we  went  to  his  brother's,  in 
Logansport,  Ind.,  where  we  spent  several  days,  and  he 
spoke  a  number  of  times  in  different  churches.  While 
there  we  ran  up  to  Lake  Bluff  and  the  three  bishops  for 
Southern  Asia  had  a  meeting  and  made  plans  for  their 
work.  From  Logansport  we  went  to  Delaware,  Ohio, 
and  spent  a  Sunday  with  the  Waughs.  He  spoke  twice 
that  day.  From  there  we  went  to  Cleveland,  Youngs- 
town,  N.  Y.,  and  Rochester,  visiting  the  McGrews,  the 
Monroes,  and  the  Graceys.  Then  to  New  York,  as  Mr. 
Parker  had  an  engagement  to  speak  at  an  Epworth 
League  convention  near  the  home  of  the  Weatherbys. 
From  there  to  Islip,  L.  I.,  where  we  spent  the  Sab- 
bath with  the  Cunninghams,  Mr.  Parker  speaking 
twice  that  day.  From  there  to  Boston  to  meet  friends 
and  to  attend  an  Epworth  League  convention  at  which 
Mr.  Parker  had  an  appointment  to  speak.  He  also 
spoke  in  the  People's  Church  and  in  another  church  at 
Beachmont.  From  Boston  we  went  to  my  brother's  in 
New  Hampshire,  intending  to  have  a  quiet  Sunday. 
But  early  in  the  morning  they  came  for  him  to  speak 
in  a  church  near  by,  and  sent  for  him  from  another 
place  to  speak  on  the  famine,  and  a  large  collection  was 
given.  From  there  we  went  to  St.  Johnsbury,  where 

276 


THE  BISHOP 

a  reception  and  an  evening  meeting  had  been  arranged, 
in  which  all  the  ministers  of  the  town  participated.  He 
spoke  somewhere  every  Sunday  of  our  stay  in  St, 
Johnsbury,  sometimes  going  to  distant  places,  such  as 
Worcester  and  Springfield,  Mass.  At  the  St.  Johnsbury 
District  Camp  Meeting  the  preachers  gave  him  a  watch. 
Our  last  Sunday  in  America  was  spent  with  the  Ros- 
coes,  in  Bayonne,  N.  J.,  and  Mr.  Parker  spoke  twice 
that  day  in  another  town.  The  last  English  sermon 
he  preached  was  to  the  steerage  passengers  on  the 
steamer  New  York. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  that  Bishop  Parker  had  not 
planned  such  a  laborious  campaign.  They  wished  to 
visit  relatives,  friends,  and,  particularly,  former  mis- 
sionaries. Mrs.  Parker  says:  "We  planned  to  have 
time  for  rest,  but  Mr.  Parker  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  speak  when  invited.  He  gave  himself 
no  rest  so  long  as  he  could  work  for  India." 

The  last  entries  in  Bishop  Parker's  diary  furnish 
indirect  proof  of  his  weak  physical  condition  and  his 
unfitness  for  such  a  heavy  round  of  exhausting 
services : 

Sept.  14.  1900.  Came  on  to  New  York  for  a  new 
start  for  India.  Sunday,  i6th.  At  Jersey  City.  Spoke 
morning  and  evening.  Fell  going  to  church.  Sept. 
19.  Sailed  from  New  York  in  company  with  Drs. 
Johnson  and  Neeld  and  Miss  Holman.  A  nice  day  for 
starting.  Bishop  Thoburn  and  others  came  to  see  us 
off.  Oct.  8.  In  Red  Sea.  Fearfully  hot;  no  wind. 
Awful  at  night!  Oct.  9.  Hot:  little  wind;  a  bad 
night;  no  energy.  Aden.  Oct.  10.  Came  in  at 
4  P.  M.  Hot  and  difficult.  Oct.  IT.  A  very  bad  night; 
noise  and  coal  dust.  No  sleep  until  2  A.  M.  This  is  a 
hot,  trying  place.  Oct.  15.  Moving  on;  will  reach 
Bombay  to-morrow  morning. 

277 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

These  are  the  last  words  of  Bishop  Parker's  diary ;  al- 
though he  knew  it  not,  and  his  friends  knew  it  not,  they 
were  written  by  the  hand  of  a  dying  man.  The  unusual 
complaint  of  weakness  and  weariness,  the  half -uttered 
suggestion  that  the  burden  of  existence  is  almost  too 
heavy  to  be  borne,  such  things  have  hitherto  found  no 
place  in  the  journal  by  whose  aid  the  readers  of  this 
memoir  have  followed  the  course  of  this  valiant  soul 
from  the  day  he  "became  his  own  man"  unto  the  hour 
when  he  received  the  merited  acknowledgment  of  effi- 
cient service  at  the  hands  of  the  General  Conference. 
If  this  last  page  of  his  diary  is  different  in  tone  from 
those  preceding  it  the  explanation  is  that  already  given : 
he  was  a  dying  man.  He  remained,  indeed,  seven  full 
months  longer  among  men,  but  his  work  was  already 
nearly  finished.  What  remained  was  little  more  than  a 
brave  battle  for  life,  and  death  at  last  prevailed. 

The  remainder  of  the  story  can  be  told  in  few  words, 
or  it  can  be  enlarged  into  a  volume.  Landing  at  Bom- 
bay October  16,  Bishop  Parker  found  the  heroic  presid- 
ing elder  of  the  Baroda  District  lying  at  death's  door, 
and  it  was  feared,  though  happily  the  fear  was  not 
realized,  that  Mr.  Frease's  name  would  be  added  to  the 
long  list  of  missionaries,  medical  men,  and  other  officers 
of  government  who  gave  their  lives  for  others  in  the 
great  famine  of  1899  and  1900.  In  the  division  of  the 
work  between  Bishops  Parker  and  Warne  the  Bombay 
Conference  and  the  two  Northern  Conferences  had 
fallen  on  Bishop  Parker ;  and  ere  he  had  been  an  hour 
in  Bombay  he  was  confronted  by  difficulties  and  re- 
quired to  act  in  emergencies  such  as  he  had  hitherto 
never  experienced.  That  such  burdens  should  fall  upon 

a  man  already  sick  unto  death  is  one  of  the  painful 

278 


THE  BISHOP 

features  of  the  sad  yet  triumphant  history  of  Bishop 
Parker's  last  year  of  life  among  men. 

Leaving  Bombay  Wednesday  evening  Bishop  and 
Mrs.  Parker  reached  Lucknow  Friday  morning,  and 
the  same  evening  went  on  to  their  home  at  Shahjahan- 
pur.  On  Saturday  an  enthusiastic  reception  was  given 
them  by  the  native  Christians  and  other  friends.  The 
next  week  the  bishop  went  to  Allahabad  to  meet  his 
colleague,  Bishop  Warne,  and  also  the  treasurer  of 
Bishop  Thoburn's  Special  Fund.  On  the  Saturday  of 
the  same  week  they  were  at  Bareilly,  where  a  reception 
had  been  arranged  and  where  they  remained  over  Sun- 
day. On  Monday  morning,  October  29,  they  went  to 
Aligarh  to  attend  the  District  Conference  there,  and 
on  that  day  Bishop  Parker  preached  his  last  sermon,  in 
Hindustani.  The  next  day  he  was  so  ill  it  was  thought 
best  to  remove  him  to  Meerut,  where  he  could  receive 
better  medical  care.  His  life  was  despaired  of  at 
Meerut,  but  he  rallied,  and  on  the  24th  of  November 
they  went  to  Lucknow,  which  had  been  made  his 
official  residence.  During  the  month  of  December  he 
appeared  to  be  improving  in  health,  and  on  Christmas 
Day  he  intended  dining  with  the  Lucknow  missionaries 
at  the  Deaconess  Home,  one  mile  from  his  residence. 
But  he  was  unable  to  go  out,  and  from  Christmas  Day 
on  he  continued  getting  weaker,  although  from  time  to 
time  his  strength  returned  for  a  few  days  in  a  manner 
which  gave  some  hope  of  his  recovery.  He  remained 
in  Lucknow  until  the  2Oth  of  March,  and  with  Mrs. 
Parker's  assistance  gave  more  or  less  attention  to 
official  correspondence.  He  also  at  this  time  prepared 
two  articles  for  the  Indian  Witness  which  are  given  in 

the  appendix  to  this  book :  a  remarkable  dream  which 

279 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

he  had  is  referred  to  elsewhere  in  a  contribution  from 
Bishop  Warne. 

Before  leaving  Meerut  for  Lucknow  Bishop  Parker 
wrote  the  following  letter  to  one  of  the  Lucknow  mis- 
sionaries. It  shows  how  fully  he  expected  to  be  able 
soon  to  go  about  his  work.  The  letter  is  dated  ipth 
of  November,  1900 : 

I  am  still  keeping  myself  to  the  one  thing  of  trying 
to  get  well,  but  I  was  very  much  run  down  in  strength 
before  the  breakdown  came.  The  latter  part  of  the  time 
on  board  the  ship  I  was  weak,  and  going  upon  deck 
would  take  the  strength  out  of  me;  and  all  the  time 
after  landing  I  seemed  to  get  weaker  and  weaker,  and 
the  abhorrence  of  all  food  grew  stronger;  hence  the 
recovery  of  my  strength  will  be  slow,  for  this  weakness 
did  not  come  to  me  all  at  once;  it  culminated  in  the 
breakdown,  but  I  am  gaining  steadily. 

We  hope  to  go  to  Lucknow  either  on  Friday  night  of 
this  week  or  on  Monday  night  of  next,  according  as  my 
strength  comes  up.  My  first  plans  of  work  are  to  be  at 
Ajmere  about  the  Qth  or  loth  of  December,  and  then 
to  be  at  Baroda  for  the  Bombay  Conference  the  i3th  of 
December.  These  are  all  the  plans  I  have  made.  I 
hope  they  may  not  fail,  as  all  my  others  did. 

On  the  second  of  March  the  bishop  and  Mrs.  Parker 
celebrated  the  forty-fifth  wedding  anniversary.  The 
increasing  heat  made  removal  to  a  cooler  climate  neces- 
sary, and  on  the  2Oth  of  March  they  went  to  Bareilly 
on  the  way  to  Naini  Tal.  After  resting  a  few  days  at 
Bareilly  they  went  on  to  Naini  Tal  and  for  a  few  weeks 
found  a  home  in  the  Ramsay  Hospital.  They  reached 
Naini  Tal  on  the  ist  of  April  and  on  the  loth  Mrs. 
Parker  wrote  the  following  letter  to  a  missionary  in 

Sitapur : 

280 


n 


THE  BISHOP 

Mr.  Parker  was  glad  to  receive  your  letter  to-day. 
I  read  it  to  him  as  he  lay  on  his  bed,  out  on  the  veranda 
room  in  the  upper  story  of  this  hospital,  where  he  can 
look  out  and  see  many  things.  The  plains  are  visible, 
but  he  can't  quite  see  them  from  his  bed.  Yes,  he  has 
had  many  "ups  and  downs"  since  you  saw  him  in  Luck- 
now.  He  gained  steadily  in  Bareilly  and  stood  the 
journey  up  here  very  well.  But  the  change,  and  espe- 
cially that  terrible  Friday's  storm,  upset  him  and  for 
three  days  he  was  down  again.  But  to-day  he  is  much 
better.  If  he  continues  to  improve  we  will  go  to  Spring 
Cottage.  There  is  not  much  to  be  gained  by  staying 
in  the  hospital,  though  it  is  a  beautiful  place  and  all  are 
exceedingly  kind.  When  the  Dr.  has  the  case  well  in 
hand  we  will  go  to  Spring  Cottage  and  Mrs.  Dease 
will  be  with  us,  and  she  is  a  capital  nurse. 

The  case  is  still  a  doubtful  one.  This  is  the  sixth 
month,  and  it  remains  to  be  seen  what  the  next  six 
months  will  do  for  him.  The  trouble  is  he  gets  no 
nourishment  from  his  food.  The  doctor  thinks  he  has 
hit  on  the  medicine  to  help  him,  and  they  are  still  ex- 
perimenting on  diet.  Mr.  Parker  says  to  tell  you  that 
his  vision  of  a  long,  weary,  painful  way  back  to  life  was 
none  too  highly  colored.  He  is  passing  through  it  all. 
It  seems  as  though  he  has  suffered  enough  ;  but  the  dear 
Lord  knows  all  about  it,  and  he  has  given  wonderful 
patience  all  these  weary  months.  Mr.  Parker  sends 
loving  greetings  and  hopes  you  will  write  again. 

The  Ramsay  Hospital  overlooks  the  plains  of  Rohil- 
khand  and  is  fifty  miles  from  Moradabad.  The  Sitapur 
missionary  had  remarked  in  his  letter  that  Bishop  Par- 
ker from  his  sick  bed  could  look  over  his  old  district 
and  live  in  the  memories  the  places  recalled.  Hence 
Mrs.  Parker's  remark  that  the  plains  were  not  visible 
from  the  spot  where  his  bed  was. 

According  to  arrangements,  the  bishop  was  removed 

to  Dr.  T.  J.  Scott's  bungalow.  Spring  Cottage,  in  which 

281 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

quiet  place,  surrounded  and  attended  by  many  friends, 
the  last  six  weeks  of  his  earthly  life  was  passed.  Spring 
Cottage  is  near  the  mission  houses  and  the  sanitarium, 
and  toward  the  end  of  May  a  number  of  the  mission- 
aries were  in  Naini  Tal.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  had  come 
up,  and  together  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dease  were  living 
in  Spring  Cottage,  Mrs.  Dease,  assisted  by  one  or  two 
deaconesses,  serving  as  his  very  efficient  nurse.  The 
last  six  weeks,  like  the  preceding  six  months,  were 
alternating  periods  of  hope  and  fear.  The  bishop  died 
on  the  fourth  of  June,  and  some  of  the  bulletins  sent 
by  the  nurses  to  friends  indicate  the  fluctuations  in  the 
tide  of  life  during  the  last  few  days:  "May  23.  The 
bishop  is  failing  and  the  doctors  have  no  hope  for  him. 
He  does  not  realize  this,  nor  does  Mrs.  Parker,  but  I 
can  see  that  he  has  failed  since  I  came  here."  "May 
24.  Mrs.  Parker  is  discouraged  this  morning,  and  I 
think  realizes  there  is  no  hope."  "May  26.  The  bishop 
seemed  better  yesterday  evening,  that  is,  brighter,  and 
not  so  low  spirited  as  the  day  before.  He  is  still  hope- 
ful, and  interested  in  everything  that  goes  on."  "May 
28.  The  bishop  was  very  bright  and  jolly  yesterday, 
and  Mrs.  Parker  was  very  cheerful.  He  continues  to 
say  he  will  get  well,  so  you  had  better  not  mention  in 
your  letter  the  possibility  of  his  not  getting  up."  "May 
31.  The  bishop  was  weaker  yesterday  and  somewhat 
discouraged.  The  symptoms  are  bad.  Mrs.  Parker  had 
received  your  letter  and  seemed  to  feel  it,  that  anyone 
had  written  you  her  husband  would  not  get  well.  She 
appreciated  your  letter,  and  I  think  she  will  read  it  to 
him  before  many  days."  The  letter  referred  to  was  a 
farewell  message  from  an  old  missionary. 

The  latest  item  was  written  by  Mrs.  Parker  herself 
282 


THE  BISHOP 

the  day  before  the  end.  ''June  3.  Thanks  for  your 
letter  to  Mr.  Parker,  which  he  enjoyed.  He  is  going 
very  fast."  And  so  at  last  hope  was  reluctantly  given 
up,  and  a  few  hours  before  her  husband's  death  Mrs. 
Parker  solemnly  and  affectionately  returned  to  the 
keeping  of  her  heavenly  Father  the  dear  one  whom, 
forty-five  years  before,  she  had  received  as  a  precious 

gift  from  God! 

283 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


VIL    SUPPLEMENTARY 


WHEN  the  Rev.  E.  W.  Parker,  D.D.,  was  elected  a 
Missionary  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
for  Southern  Asia,  Dr.  Buckley,  the  editor  of  The 
Christian  Advocate,  wrote  these  words  for  his  own 
editorial  columns: 

A  traveler  in  India  whom  we  had  the  pleasure 
to  meet  declared  to  us  that  in  his  opinion  the  most 
efficient  missionary  now  living,  judged  by  universal 
adaptability,  proficiency  in  the  native  tongue,  and  power 
to  win  men  to  Christ,  together  with  grasp  of  details  and 
mastery  of  organization,  is  Edwin  W.  Parker. 

When  these  words  of  commendation  were  read  by 
men  who  had  been  forty  years  fellow-workers  with 
Dr.  Parker  it  was  felt  they  were  substantially  correct. 
The  writers  of  the  following  appreciations,  as  well  as 
of  the  very  interesting  papers  in  the  Appendix,  all  con- 
firm in  one  way  or  another  the  assertion  that  Bishop 
Parker  stood  in  the  front  rank  of  great  missionaries. 

"UNCLE  PARKER" — THE  CHILDREN'S  FRIEND 

BY  W.  A.  MANSELL 

THE  missionaries  who  came  to  India  in  '59  and  the 
early  sixties  undertook  a  far  more  serious  enterprise 
than  those  who  now  take  passage  in  a  fast  Atlantic 
steamer  and,  following  the  mail  across  Europe,  embark 
in  a  P.  and  O.  steamer  at  Brindisi  and  reach  India 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

in  less  than  a  month.  Then  it  meant  a  four  months' 
voyage  in  a  sailing  ship,  with  no  hopes  of  a  furlough 
and  very  little  of  a  return  at  all.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances the  little  band  gathered  in  a  strange  land, 
with  family  ties  at  home  broken,  as  it  seemed,  for  life, 
became  a  real  family,  and  the  ties  of  affection  which 
bound  them  together  were  as  close  as  ties  of  blood. 
"Brother"  and  "sister"  meant  far  more  than  the  token 
of  ecclesiastical  fraternity.  The  early  missionaries 
became  "brothers"  and  "sisters"  to  each  other  in  a  very 
real  sense  in  the  place  of  those  left  behind. 

Into  this  close  family  relationship  the  children  were 
also  admitted.  Some  had  crossed  the  seas  in  the  long 
voyage,  others  had  come  across  the  Unknown  Ocean 
and  made  port  first  in  India — all  alike  became  the  chil- 
dren of  the  whole  missionary  family  and  objects  of 
interest  and  affection  to  all.  And  if  the  parents  were 
brothers  and  sisters  to  each  other,  were  they  not 
"uncles"  and  "aunts"  to  the  children? 

Nature  is  often  kind  in  her  compensations.  If  no 
children  came  to  gladden  "Uncle  Parker's"  home,  a 
score  of  children  lavished  on  him  and  "Auntie  Parker" 
an  affection  scarcely  less  hearty  than  that  they  gave  to 
their  own  parents.  There  is  a  missionary  boy  to-day 
who  is  not  ashamed  to  be  reminded  that  he  had  to 
ascribe  a  dual  personality  to  himself,  saying  stoutly. 
"Me  two  boys,"  in  order  to  make  it  possible  at  the  same 
time  to  be  "Uncle  Parker's  boy"  and  "papa's  boy."  To 
many  missionary  children  the  days  or  the  weeks  spent 
in  visits  at  his  home  are  among  the  brightest  of  child- 
hood's memories. 

Two  generations  of  missionary  children  have  been 

won  by  the  merry  eyes,  the  deep  musical  voice,  the  big, 

285 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

firm  handshake,  and  the  sympathetic  magnetism  of 
Uncle  Parker.  There  are  mothers  to-day  who  remem- 
ber him  as  one  of  their  earliest  playmates,  and  there  are 
babies  just  having  learned  to  talk  who  still  clap  their 
hands  with  joy  before  Uncle  Parker's  picture. 

No  visitor  was  more  warmly  welcomed  at  mission- 
ary homes  than  he.  The  birthdays  he  never  forgot,  the 
little  tokens  he  sent  from  time  to  time,  the  prominent 
place  the  children  had  in  any  excursion  or  entertair*- 
ment  he  planned,  all  these  were  ways  of  showing 
that  he  always  remembered  the  children.  At  Almora, 
the  mission  sanitarium  on  the  lower  Himalayas,  he 
loved  to  spend  his  outdoor  hours  of  recreation  in  "fix- 
ing up  the  place"  as  he  used  to  say.  Broken  boundary 
walls,  dilapidated  houses,  and  overgrown  paths  were  an 
abomination  to  him.  He  planted  many  of  the  trees  on 
the  place.  A  fine  pine  grove,  well  started,  and  a  level 
road  around  the  hill  to  the  limits  of  the  estate  are 
memorials  of  his  last  visit.  It  was  he  who  planned  a 
summer  house  for  the  children  on  a  pleasant  knoll  over- 
looking the  valley,  and  he  was  the  chief  child  in  the 
day's  pleasures  when  the  foundation  stone  was  laid. 
He  suggested  that  a  baby  girl  lay  the  foundation  stone, 
and  he  guided  her  tiny  hands  while  she  held  the  trowel. 
And  who  that  was  present  on  that  occasion  can  forget 
his  earnest  prayers,  full  of  a  love  as  deep  as  that  of  a 
father,  for  all  the  children  of  the  mission  ? 

When  once  the  heart  was  bound  to  him  in  childhood 
no  subsequent  changes  of  scene  or  circumstances  al- 
lowed the  bond  to  break.  A  missionary  bishop  preach- 
ing in  an  Eastern  metropolis  sees  a  tall  young  man 
crowding  forward  to  meet  him.  Grasping  his  hand  the 

newcomer  cries  out,  "Uncle  Parker !  that's  what  I  shall 

286 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

call  you."  "Why,  Charlie!"  responds  the  bishop, 
when,  looking  through  the  disguise  the  years  had  made, 
he  recognizes  in  the  bearded  college  professor  the  mis- 
sionary boy  he  knew  in  India.  They  met  again  on  the 
same  plane  on  which  they  had  first  formed  their  life- 
long acquaintance.  This  constancy  and  fidelity  of 
friendship  was  no  more  marked  on  the  side  of  the  chil- 
dren than  on  his  side.  No  element  in  Bishop  Parker's 
many-sided  character  is  more  attractive  than  the  deep 
personal  interest  he  took  in  all  the  affairs  of  the  mis- 
sionary children.  When  on  furlough  at  home  he  made 
it  his  uniform  practice  to  see  as  many  of  them  as  he 
could.  If  in  a  city  where  any  of  them  lived  he  made  it 
a  point  to  visit  them,  making  his  arrangements  and 
appointments  with  that  in  mind.  He  would  take  long 
journeys,  too,  to  bear  a  message  to  them  if  they  hap- 
pened to  be  out  of  the  line  of  regular  travel.  And 
when  he  visited  them  he,  with  his  wife,  looked  at  them 
through  their  parents'  eyes.  He  took  note  of  physical 
health  and  appearance,  spiritual  condition,  environ- 
ments, tastes,  habits,  striking  resemblances,  amusing 
and  pathetic  incidents,  and  faithfully  reported  them  to 
the  hungry  parents  in  the  far  away  mission  fields. 

He  made  no  pretensions  to  literary  style,  sometimes 
referring  to  the  fact  and  explaining  that  he  had  no  time 
while  he  was  building  up  a  work  to  write  about  it.  But 
a  homelier,  more  genial  letter  writer  it  would  be  hard 
to  find,  and  he  never  shone  better  at  letter  writing  than 
when  describing  missionary  children  to  absent  parents. 
Thus  on  one  occasion  he  wrote : 

L —  -  has  written  all  that  needs  writing,  perhaps, 
and  yet  I  want  to  write  a  little.  Frankie  knew  us  as 
soon  as  we  stepped  from  the  cars  and  ran  for  us  at  once. 

287 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

All  the  children  think  they  know  all  about  us.  Robbie 
"remembers"  all  about  us.  You  should  hear  his  big 
talk  about  remembering  us.  He  is  a  remarkably  nice 
boy.  Last  evening  I  showed  pictures  all  the  evening, 
and  I  had  no  idea  that  he  would  keep  awake,  but  he  sat 
in  his  little  chair  for  an  hour,  entering  into  all  as  heart- 
ily as  any  one.  Then  Mrs.  D.  got  him  to  sit  in  her  lap, 
but  he  still  kept  up  his  courage  and  finally,  with  a  long 
yawn,  said,  "I  am  not  tired."  He  sat  with  me  at  church 
and  listened,  or  kept  awake,  through  a  long  sermon.* 
It  was  a  funeral  sermon,  and  the  other  children  listened 
all  through,  seeming  interested;  showing  an  intelligent 
interest  noticeable  in  a  child  like  Nora  or  Willie.  Nora 
is  a  perfect  little  lady.  She  is  easy  and  natural  in  her 
manners.  A  gentleman  called,  and  the  way  she  invited 
him  in  and  gave  him  a  chair  and  said  she  would  speak 
to  Mrs.  Davis  was  so  natural  and  easy  and  ladylike 
that  I  noticed  it.  The  older  boys  are  improving — they 
read  at  prayers  and  seem  to  be  doing  very  well. 

The  children  do  not  show  a  restrained  or  subdued 
feeling  at  all.  They  are  free  and  easy  and  run  about 
like  home.  The  older  ones  are  nice  to  the  others.  Mr. 
D.  is  now  talking  with  a  neighbor,  and  Willie  has  gone 
and  is  sitting  on  his  knee  listening  in  his  sober  way. 
Frankie  is  at  play  with  his  kitten  and  Signie  is  watch- 
ing things  generally.  The  two  youngest  are  sleeping, 
as  they  want  to  go  to  church  to  hear  Uncle  Parker  this 
evening. 

The  same  qualities  which  made  him  popular  with 
missionary  children  made  him  natural  leader  of  young 
people.  His  unbounded  confidence  in  their  future,  his 
watchful  care  of  their  interests,  his  willingness  to  place 
reliance  upon  them,  all  attracted  the  young  people  and 
made  them  respond  to  his  appeals.  His  face  was  never 
so  radiantly  happy  as  in  a  young  people's  meeting.  On 

one  occasion,  when  he  announced  a  meeting  for  young 

288 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

people  in  a  District  Conference,  some  one  rose  and 
asked  the  age  limit.  "Seventy-five,"  called  out  Dr. 
Parker;  "I  expect  to  be  young  until  I  am  seventy-five, 
and  then  we  shall  see  how  much  it  will  be  necessary  to 
extend  the  limit." 

The  schools  and  the  pupils  were  with  him  an  object 
of  especial  care  in  his  mission  work.  It  was  because 
he  saw  the  need  of  a  more  rounded  development  of 
character  in  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  mission  schools 
that  he,  with  Mrs.  Parker,  instituted  the  first  Young 
People's  Society  in  Moradabad  in  1888.  This  society 
was  organized  before  the  Epworth  League  began.  It 
was  modeled  after  the  Oxford  League,  but  with  impor- 
tant modifications,  giving  especial  prominence  to  train- 
ing in  spiritual  work.  When  the  Epworth  League  was 
organized  in  America  the  society  at  Moradabad,  and  a 
number  of  others  patterned  after  it,  quickly  fell  into 
line  and  became  Epworth  Leagues.  It  was  therefore 
eminently  fitting  that  Dr.  Parker  should  be  chosen  as 
the  first  president  of  the  Epworth  League  for  India, 
when  a  general  organization  was  effected.  Later  this 
office  brought  him  in  touch  with  children  and  young 
people  everywhere.  Whenever  his  engagements  took 
him  to  stations  other  than  his  own  he  would  try  to  ar- 
range for  special  meetings  for  the  League,  or  such 
other  young  people's  societies  as  existed. 

During  the  last  season  of  special  Dasahra  revival 
meetings,  which  he  conducted  at  Calcutta,  an  incident 
occurred  which  showed  how  quickly  and  easily  he  won 
the  hearts  of  children.  During  the  services  a  number 
of  the  pupils  of  the  Calcutta  girls'  school  were  espe- 
cially blessed,  among  them  some  of  the  tiny  ones  in  the 

infant  standard.    When  Dr.  Parker  was  about  to  leave, 
(19)  289 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

at  the  close  of  the  series  of  meetings,  two  of  these  little 
girls  came  to  say  good-bye,  bringing  with  them,  as  a 
token  of  love  for  him,  two  tiny  dolls  in  little  match- 
box cradles — their  special  treasures.  These  they  left 
with  him,  saying,  as  they  went  away,  "Good-bye;  we 
want  to  be  good  and  love  Jesus  just  like  you,  Dr. 
Parker." 

One  secret  of  his  influence  over  the  young  was  his 
personal  and  individual  interest  in  them.  And  this  wa€ ' 
shown  not  only  toward  the  missionary  children,  but 
toward  all  classes  of  young  people  with  whom  he  had 
any  dealings.  One  testimony  in  the  memorial  services 
held  in  his  honor  was  repeated  so  often  that  it  came  as 
a  surprise  to  those  who  did  not  know  how  close  and 
intimate  had  been  his  relations  with  his  workers. 
Again  and  again  preachers  occupying  important  and 
influential  positions  in  Conference  testified  how  they 
owed  all  that  they  were  to  the  patient  forbearance  of 
Dr.  Parker.  As  boys  in  school  they  had  run  away,  or 
perhaps  for  faults  had  been  disciplined  and  sent  away, 
as  preachers  they  had  been  found  unfit  and  had  been 
dismissed,  but  he  had  given  them  trial  after  trial,  had 
encouraged  them  to  persevere,  had  personally  supported 
them  while  they  were  in  straits,  until  finally  they  had 
overcome.  There  was  hardly  ever  a  time  when  he  was 
not  personally  supporting  two  or  three  young  men  in 
one  or  more  of  the  schools  of  the  Mission.  There  are 
presiding  elders,  Conference  members,  local  preachers, 
and  young  men  in  secular  employments  all  over  North 
India  who  are  in  this  special  sense  "Dr.  Parker's  boys." 
Through  all  his  life  his  motto  in  dealing  with  men 
was,  "It  is  better  to  make  men  than  to  break  them." 

This  same  temper  he  had  in  dealing  with  the  young 

290 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

showed  itself  in  his  dealings  with  the  Christians  about 
him,  all  of  whom  he  regarded  as  more  or  less  children. 

It  was  the  universal  testimony  of  those  who  knew 
him  that  he  was  wonderfully  mellowed  and  sweetened 
in  his  later  years.  The  old  strength  and  masterfulness 
remained,  but  there  was  added  to  it  a  kindliness  and 
fatherly  love  which  showed  itself  more  and  more  in  the 
increasing  benignity  of  his  countenance.  Like  the 
apostle  John  he  began  to  regard  all  the  church  as  in 
a  special  sense  his  own  and  to  think  of  all  Christians 
as  "little  children."  The  "Uncle  Parker"  of  the  smaller 
group  of  admirers  had  become  the  father  of  the  whole 
Church.  During  the  weary  hours  of  his  last  illness  the 
condition  of  these  weak  children  of  the  Church  in  India 
was  his  chief  anxiety  and  care.  Then  there  came  to  him 
that  strange  dream  or  vision,  with  what  was  to  him  a 
message  and  a  prophecy  that  he  should  still  be  per- 
mitted to  be  a  teacher  and  leader  of  the  weak  ones,  and 
he  was  at  peace. 

Thus  he  died,  as  he  had  lived,  the  friend  and  helper 
of  the  weak.  He  had  not  only  impressed  his  personal- 
ity on  the  foreign  missionaries'  children,  but  had  won 
their  love.  He  inspired  them,  as  he  did  all  the  younger 
missionaries,  to  make  his  ideals  their  own.  In  the 
affections  of  the  young  people  at  large  he  had  an  as- 
sured place,  and  when  he  spoke  it  was  with  the  author- 
ity of  love.  In  the  Indian  Church  he  rilled  a  place 
which  will  long  be  vacant. 

But  his  spiritual  children  on  every  hand  rise  up  to 
call  his  memory  blessed.  The  places  they  now  fill  mul- 
tiply many  fold  the  influence  of  him  whose  strong  and 
sympathetic  touch  has  helped  to  make  them  what  they 

are. 

291 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

THE  COUNSELOR 
BY  P.  M.  BUCK 

A  MISSIONARY  standing  amid  countless  multitudes 
of  pagans  dwelling  in  thick  darkness  experiences  a 
sense  of  insignificance  and  helplessness  difficult  to  dupli- 
cate. He  can  personally  at  best  but  touch  a  very  few 
souls  here  and  there.  As  regards  his  direct  efforts  the 
great  masses  must  live  on  as  if  no  message  of  salvation  * 
had  ever  found  utterance.  If  a  worthy  success  is  to 
attend  his  life  he  must  find  means  of  reproducing  him- 
self over  and  over  again,  especially  in  messengers  of 
grace  from  among  the  sons  of  the  soil.  He  must  be- 
come a  power-center  from  which  shall  radiate,  through 
those  he  molds  and  controls,  lines  of  holy  influence  and 
virtue  in  every  direction.  Bishop  Parker  was  eminent- 
ly successful  and  fruitful  because  he  was  able  to  pass 
on  to  many  others  of  his  own  strength  and  spirit,  and 
because  he  was  a  pathfinder  and  guide  in  methods  of 
work  and  in  dealing  with  the  legion  of  difficulties  inci- 
dent to  this  field.  Perhaps  in  no  sphere  did  his  ability 
appear  to  better  advantage  than  in  his  counsels  and 
advice  regarding  an  almost  endless  variety  of  things 
connected  with  the  work  to  which  he  consecrated  his 
life. 

Bishop  Parker  was  peculiarly  fitted  by  nature  and 
grace  for  the  direction  of  work  and  for  counsel  to 
workers.  He  was  very  largely  endowed  with  the  high- 
est order  of  common  sense,  a  commodity  that  would 
bless  the  world  far  more  than  it  does  were  it  not 
so  uncommon.  His  judgment  was  wondrously  well 
balanced.  He  had  the  rare  faculty  of  seeing  things 

all  round  and  within  and  without.    The  relative  impor- 

292 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

tance  of  things  stood  out  to  him  as  in  broad  sunlight. 
He  was  a  man  of  rare  tact.  His  clear  conversation 
and  deep  spiritual  life  placed  his  peculiar  practical  abili- 
ties wholly  at  God's  disposal. 

He  was  possessed  of  deep  sympathy  and  tender  sen- 
sibilities. He  loved  much  and  bound  hearts  to  him- 
self with  links  of  steel.  His  large  strength,  attended 
with  purity  and  goodness,  won  ready  ears  for  his 
words  of  instruction  and  advice.  He  had  the  advan- 
tage of  joining  the  work  in  India  near  its  fountain 
head.  He  was  familiar  with  all  its  developments  and 
difficulties  from  the  beginning.  He  was  at  an  early 
date  recognized  as  one  of  the  chief  leaders,  and  soon 
found  himself  in  positions  affording  large  fields  for  the 
exercise  of  all  his  gifts.  He  was  a  master  organizer 
in  the  work.  He  could  fit  all  sorts  of  men  into  their 
rightful  places.  He  could  instruct  them  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  individual  parts.  He  could  check 
exuberance  of  energy  on  one  line  and  turn  it  into  and 
encourage  its  activity  in  another  of  worthy  fruitful- 
ness.  His  singleness  of  heart  and  inborn  energy  and 
spirit  of  industry  made  untrue  and  indolent  men  a 
peculiar  trial  to  him.  Such  found  the  weight  of  his 
heavy  hand  decidedly  uncomfortable.  In  all  this  work- 
in's  wisdom  in  counsel  was  an  element  of  very  special 
strength. 

During  perhaps  most  of  the  years  of  Bishop  Parker's 
busy  ministry  his  work  was  by  no  means  limited  by  cir- 
cuit or  district  lines.  He  was  for  a  long  period  pre- 
eminently the  counselor  and  adviser  in  all  our  work 
in  Northern  India.  I  imagine  that  during  the  past 
quarter  of  a  century  there  have  been  very  few  young 
missionaries  indeed  who  did  not  soon  learn  to  go  to 

293 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

Brother  Parker  in  dealing  with  difficult  problems. 
Missionaries  have  grown  gray  in  the  work  who  have 
scarcely  thought  of  initiating  new  plans  or  methods 
without  first  seeking  suggestions  from  him  during  all 
their  years  of  service.  He  somehow  seemed  to  have 
gained  the  knowledge  of  a  specialist  in  all  departments 
of  our  work.  It  mattered  little  whether  the  problem 
had  regard  to  evangelism  or  education,  finances  or 
social  questions,  printing  or  literature,  his  judgment 
had  great  weight  in  its  solution. 

Native  workers  outside  his  own  immediate  field  too 
learned  to  go  to  him  with  all  sorts  of  matters  as  to 
none  other.  If  they  found  fellow-workers  going  wrong 
and  injuring  the  work,  he  was  likely  to  be  the  first  to 
receive  the  information.  If  new  difficulties  arose  which 
they  could  not  manage,  his  counsel  was  almost  sure  to 
be  sought.  If  new  enterprises  were  to  be  launched,  it 
was  deemed  needful  to  know  his  mind.  If  special  per- 
sonal need  became  pressing,  he  was  asked  to  advise  as 
to  a  way  of  relief.  All  who  knew  him  well  recognized 
him  as  a  wise,  sympathetic,  true,  and  real  friend,  to 
'whom  they  could  with  utmost  confidence  commit  their 
most  vital  interests. 

Bishop  Parker's  peculiar  relation  to  the  entire  work 
in  upper  India  involved  him  in  an  enormous  measure 
of  work,  which  seemed  to  increase  to  the  end.  Through 
many  hours  of  the  day,  week  in  and  week  out,  month  in 
and  month  out,  year  after  year,  he  might  have  been 
found  at  his  table,  at  home  and  when  on  his  tours  of 
supervision,  dealing  with  important  matters  from  far 
and  near.  His  correspondence  was  very  extensive  in- 
deed. Until  late  in  life  he  never  indulged  in  the  luxury 

of  a  private  secretary.    How  he  got  through  with  all 

294 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

and  kept  it  up  for  so  many  years  is  a  mystery  to  those 
familiar  with  the  constant  demands  upon  his  strength 
and  time.  Had  he  not  been  a  man  of  almost  herculean 
strength  and  indomitable  energy  such  tasks  would 
never  have  been  accomplished.  There  seems  good  rea- 
son to  believe  that  in  the  end  his  life  became  a  sacrifice 
upon  this  altar  of  service.  If  such  be  the  explanation 
of  an  end  that  seemed  to  come  far  too  soon  for  one  so 
well  endowed,  the  offering  must  have  gone  up  as  a 
sweet  smelling  savor  to  God,  for  it  was  love  that  con- 
strained the  ministry  of  toil. 

In  nothing  is  Bishop  Parker  more  missed,  nor  will 
he  be  for  years  to  come,  than  in  the  matter  of  wise 
counsels  in  connection  with  problems  difficult  and 
grave  that  arise  in  the  work  and  press  for  a  solution. 
Workers  accustomed  to  look  to  him  for  suggestions 
and  advice  through  all  the  years  of  a  lengthened  mis- 
sionary career,  or  of  ministerial  service,  and  who  have 
never  been  disappointed,  experience  a  deep  and  peculiar 
sense  of  loss  when,  under  pressing  need,  they  would 
turn  almost  instinctively  to  him,  their  memory  reminds 
them  he  is  no  more  accessible  for  advice  and  help.  But 
many  should  prove  stronger  themselves  for  the  peculiar 
work  he  did  because  of  their  long  association  with  him. 
Thrown  upon  their  own  resources,  not  a  few  should 
yield  their  contribution  of  proof  that  his  life  and  spirit 
have  become  extensively  reproduced  in  the  field  he 

served  so  well. 

295 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 
His  LAST  APPOINTMENT 

BY  BISHOP  FRANK  W.  WARNE 

WHEN  Bishop  Parker  had  been  an  Indian  mission- 
ary over  forty-two  years  I  heard  him  say,  with  his 
powerful  right  arm  outstretched,  "This  arm  is  as  strong 
and  as  steady  as  when  I  first  came  to  India."  It  was 
thus  we  all  thought  of  this  godly  man  with  his  tall  and 
manly  form,  his  flowing  white  beard,  his  sonorous  and 
melodious  voice.  But  between  the  time  of  his  election 
to  the  episcopacy  and  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  India 
disease  had  fastened  itself  upon  him  and  wasted  his 
great  frame.  We  parted  in  Chicago  in  June,  just  after 
the  General  Conference.  I  went  to  India  by  way  of  the 
Philippines  and  met  him  next  at  Allahabad,  almost  im- 
mediately after  his  arrival  in  India,  and  was  shocked 
at  the  change  in  his  appearance.  His  neck  had 
shrunken  to  that  of  an  invalid,  and  he  was  only  able  to 
walk  a  few  steps,  and  that  with  difficulty.  I  was  at 
once  impressed  with  the  idea  that  his  work  was  done. 
I  saw  him  next  on  New  Year's  Day  at  his  home  in 
Lucknow.  He  had  sent  for  me  to  instruct  me  concern- 
ing his  Conferences,  at  which  I  was  to  preside.  He 
was  then  extremely  weak,  and  it  was  thought  the  end 
was  near. 

My  last  interview  was  when  I  had  held  the  North 
and  Northwest  India  Conferences  and  went  to  him  to 
report  before  leaving  for  Burma,  Malaysia,  and  the 
Philippines.  I  went  from  Cawnpore  to  Lucknow,  ar- 
riving late  in  the  evening.  Mrs.  Parker  said,  "I  will  not 
let  him  know  to-night  that  you  have  come,  lest  he 
should  not  sleep,  but  I  will  let  you  see  him  first  one  in 

the  morning."    Early  in  the  morning  I  was  admitted  to 

296 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

the  sick  room,  to  find  the  good  man's  countenance  all 
aglow  with  a  light  from  the  Spirit  World,  and  I  heard 
from  his  lips  the  following  remarkable  experience  be- 
fore he  even  had  an  opportunity  to  tell  it  to  his  beloved 
wife: 

"I  had  a  vision  last  night,"  he  began;  "the  Lord 
Jesus  came  into  my  room  and  appeared  to  me  in  his 
glory  and  said,  'I  have  two  propositions  to  make  to 
you.'  With  awe  and  rejoicing  I  replied,  'What  are 
they  ?'  Jesus  said,  The  first  is  that  you  may  continue 
to  live,  but  you  can  never  be  strong.'  I  asked,  'Can  I  be 
of  any  use  to  any  one  and  do  any  good  in  the  world  ?' 
He  said,  'No;  you  can  never  be  strong  enough  to  help 
any  one,  but  will  always  have  to  be  taken  care  of  as  you 
are  now.'  I  said,  'Then  I  do  not  care  to  live;  what  is 
the  second  proposition  ?'  He  then  took  me  away  into  a 
very  bright  and  beautiful  place  which  he  called  the 
lower  department  of  heaven.  He  showed  me  the  higher 
and  still  higher,  grander  and  much  more  beautiful  and 
wonderful  departments  of  heaven,  but  asked  me  to  look 
around  me  and  see  the  people  by  whom  I  was  then  sur- 
rounded. I  looked  and  saw  great  multitudes  of  people, 
and  noted  and  rejoiced  that  many  of  them  were  our 
Indian  village  Christians  who  had  passed  on  before. 
He  said,  'These  are  my  little  ones  who  have  received 
me  in  India,  but  have  never  had  the  opportunity  of  re- 
ceiving much  teaching,  and  they  are  here  waiting  to  be 
taught  before  they  are  promoted  to  the  higher  and  high- 
est places  in  heaven.  If  you  will  choose  to  come  with 
me  I  will  appoint  you  to  teach  these  little  ones,  and 
you  will  have  the  privilege  of  doing  much  good.'  This 
was  an  entirely  new  idea  of  heaven  to  me,  and  when  I 

thought  that  I  could  do  no  more  good  on  earth  I  at  once 

297 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

said,  'Blessed  Lord  Jesus,  I  will  go  with  thee,  and  I 
rejoice  in  the  prospect  and  privilege  of  being  permitted 
to  further  teach  our  Indian  village  Christians.'  All  at 
once  all  anxiety  about  leaving  the  work  and  the  world 
was  gone,  and  there  opened  up  before  me  a  new  and 
blessed  work  of  which  I  had  never  thought :  the  blessed 
privilege  of  teaching  Christ's  little  ones.  I  said  to 
Jesus,  'I  will  be  delighted  to  teach  these  poor  people 
as  long  as  you  wish.' ' 

Filled  with  this  thought  Bishop  Parker  patted  his 
wasted  hand  upon  his  chest  outside  of  the  bed  covering, 
and  while  tears  of  joy  coursed  down  his  emaciated 
cheeks  he  said :  "O,  I  am  so  happy  at  the  prospect  of 
teaching  Christ's  little  ones!  I  have  a  new  appoint- 
ment !  The  future  is  all  glorious !  I  long  to  be  away 
to  my  new  appointment !"  Just  then  his  wife  came  in 
and  he  with  great  emotion  retold  the  vision.  Never 
have  I  witnessed  a  scene  at  once  so  pathetic  and  inspir- 
ing. Pathetic  because  it  seemed  the  parting  between  a 
devoted  husband  and  the  wife  who  had  seldom  been 
separated  from  him  in  all  his  missionary  toils.  In- 
spiring, because  he  spoke  with  the  inspiration  of  his 
Master's  visit  and  the  glories  of  his  new  appointment 
filling  him  with  unspeakable  anticipation.  Thus  be- 
tween sobs  of  grief  and  visions  of  glory,  with  a  broken 
voice,  he  retold  to  his  grief-stricken  wife  the  story  of 
his  Saviour's  visit  and  his  glorious  commission.  I  sat 
and  looked  at  the  two  veterans  who  had  been  the  rec- 
ognized leaders  of  our  Indian  village  Christians  for 
many  years,  who  had  thought  and  planned  together  the 
organization  and  work  of  our  great  and  growing 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and  who  looked 

out  into  the  glorious  future  as  it  had  been  revealed  to 

298 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

him.  I  thought  of  how  in  youth  they  had  forsaken  all, 
and  had  spent  most  of  their  lives  in  the  humble  Indian 
villages  among  outcasts  and  the  poorest  of  the  poor ;  I 
thought  of  the  tens  of  thousands  they  had  led  to  Christ 
and  of  the  wealth  of  love  that  was  theirs,  and  saw 
illustrated  Christ's  wonderful  promise,  "There  is  no 
man  that  hath  left  house,  or  parents,  or  brethren,  or 
wife,  or  children  for  the  kingdom  of  God's  sake,  who 
shall  not  receive  manifold  more  in  this  present  time, 
and  in  the  world  to  come  life  everlasting."  The  great 
of  the  earth  might  well  envy  these  humble  missionaries 
at  such  an  hour. 

One  can,  I  think,  without  indorsing  any  of  the 
vagaries  of  spiritualism,  believe  this  vision  to  have 
been  a  special  revelation  of  comfort  in  that  trying  hour 
given  to  one  of  the  greatest  missionaries  the  Church 
has  ever  had.  Need  we  doubt  that  it  also  gave  a  true 
view  of  the  service  such  saints  may  be  permitted  to 
render  in  the  future  life,  and  of  the  method  of  advance- 
ment of  Christ's  little  ones  in  the  home  beyond? 

299 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


THE  LAST  DAYS 
BY  J.  N.  WEST 

ONE  of  the  strong  sentiments  that  marked  the  char- 
acter of  Bishop  Parker  was  a  passion  for  hard  work; 
and  in  proportion  as  this  was  so,  to  that  degree  was  his 
lingering  sickness  a  personal  trial.  But  the  gold  of  his 
character  never  shone  brighter  than  in  the  furnace  of 
affliction,  and  some  of  his  greatest  battles  were  there 
quietly  fought  and  the  victory  won.  One  day  he  said 
to  the  writer,  "Brother  West,  I  want  you  to  pray  that 
patience  may  be  given  to  me." 

I  replied,  "Bishop  Parker,  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
Lord  has  given  you  wonderful  patience,  for  I  have 
been  very  much  with  you  in  your  sickness  and  I  have 
not  heard  you  speak  a  harsh  word  to  anyone." 

"O,  I  do  not  mean  that,"  he  said ;  "I  do  not  think  that 
I  will  forget  myself  so  as  to  speak  impatiently.  What 
I  want  is  this :  If  I  must  lie  here  day  after  day  and  week 
after  week,  when  I  see  so  much  work  to  be  done,  I  want 
to  be  able  to  bear  it  patiently." 

In  those  days  of  suffering  and  waiting  he  was  ful- 
filling a  mission  and  doing  a  great  work.  However 
pale  his  face  might  be,  it  always  wore  a  smile  for  those 
who  visited  his  sick  chamber.  The  little  talks  with 
different  ones  who  were  called  to  see  him  were  an  in- 
spiration to  greater  faithfulness  and  service,  and  many 
recall  these  times  as  seasons  of  sacred  fellowship  with 
God.  Not  only  did  many  who  were  called  to  his  bed- 
side in  quiet  converse  feel  that  from  his  lips  they  were 

receiving  the  message  of  God,  but  also  in  distant  vil- 

300 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

lages  poor  and  ignorant  Christians  would  gather 
around  the  visiting  worker  and  inquire  with  tears  how 
"Bishop  Parker  Sahib"  was.  I  always  had  a  desire 
that  a  formal  message  to  the  Indian  Christians  might 
be  dictated  by  the  bishop  and  written  down  for  them. 
But  it  was  needless.  He  had  written  his  message  on 
the  hearts  of  the  thousands  that  he  had  brought  to 
Christ.  They  themselves  were  his  epistles,  upon  whose 
lives  he  had  written  so  many  kind  words  and  so  many 
deeds  of  love. 

Had  it  not  been  so  sad  and  pathetic  it  would  have 
been  a  grand  sight  to  see  this  strong  man  fighting  for 
life.  He  was  not  accustomed  to  be  conquered  by  any- 
thing, and  he  now  exerted  all  his  power  to  resist  disease 
and  death.  At  Naini  Tal  he  said  to  me,  "I  have  put  my 
hand  in  the  hand  of  Christ  and  have  promised  him  that 
if  he  will  help  me  I  will  get  well."  There  is  no  doubt 
that  this  cheerfulness  of  temper  and  this  exertion  of 
indomitable  will  power  kept  him  alive  long  after  most 
men  would  have  given  up  the  struggle.  In  January, 
while  sitting  at  his  bedside,  he  dictated  to  me  the  follow- 
ing testimony  to  be  sent  to  the  Annual  Conference  in 
session  at  Bareilly : 

"I  wish  to  add  my  testimony  to  the  Conference  love 
feast.  These  to  me  are  the  days  of  trusting  and  wait- 
ing. I  can  trust  because  God  is  faithful,  because  Jesus, 
in  the  infinite  love  of  the  Father,  has  made  a  full  atone- 
ment for  all  my  sins,  and  because  by  living  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ  I  am  redeemed  from  all  sin  and  made  a 
child  of  God.  As  God's  son  I  can  trust  him  as  a  faith- 
ful Father,  and  a  loving  Redeemer.  This  trust  brings 
perfect  peace,  joy,  and  hope,  and  gives  anew  eternal 

life.    Hence  it  is  all  right  with  me.    I  cannot  see,  I  can- 

301 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

not  understand,  but  I  can  trust  and  know  that  it  is 
well." 

There  was  another  sentence  at  the  end  which  he  dic- 
tated and  then  immediately  requested  that  it  should  not 
be  sent;  but  now  I  feel  at  liberty  to  give  it  as  illus- 
trating not  only  his  solicitude  for  Mrs.  Parker,  but  also 
his  great  desire  and  purpose  to  get  well.  After  telling 
of  his  Christian  experience  as  stated  above  he  dictated 
the  following:  "And  now  I  commend  to  your  kindly 
care  one  who  has  stood  by  my  side  .  .  ."  (Here  his 
full  heart  found  vent  in  tears  and  he  was  choked  with 
emotion.)  "No;  don't  send  that  sentence,  for  I  do  not 
intend  to  die — I  want  to  get  well."  On  being  asked  if 
he  referred  to  Mrs.  Parker  he  nodded  assent,  and  when 
assured  that  the  brethren  of  the  Conference  would  do 
all  in  their  power  to  carry  out  his  wishes,  he  said,  "Yes, 
I  know  that  is  true." 

Those  who  were  present  at  Bishop  Parker's  death- 
bed can  never  forget  the  impressive  scene.  By  a  coin- 
cidence that  seems  more  than  accidental  nearly  all  his 
fellow  missionaries  of  the  North  India  Conference  and 
a  number  of  the  native  brethren  were  assembled  in 
Naini  Tal  to  attend  the  Finance  Committee  meeting 
and  were  present  at  the  scene  of  triumph.  As  I  looked 
upon  that  group  of  sympathetic  friends  gathered  in  that 
room  it  reminded  me  of  a  picture  I  had  seen  of  the 
deathbed  of  Wesley.  With  equal  appropriateness 
might  the  words  be  used,  "The  best  of  all  is,  God  is 
with  us."  It  was  very  evident  to  us  all  that  the  end 
was  near.  Several  songs  were  sung  in  Hindustani, 
such  as  "Yesu  Masih  mero  prana  bachaya"  ("Jesus 
Christ  has  saved  my  soul"),  "Main  musafir  aur  main 

pardesi"  ("I'm  a  pilgrim,  and  I'm  a  stranger").  As 

302 


SUPPLEMENTARY 

the  life  was  slowly  ebbing  away  all  was  silent  save  that 
ever  and  anon  some  one  would  read  a  hymn,  "Jesus, 
lover  of  my  soul,  let  me  to  thy  bosom  fly,"  "Rock  of 
Ages,  cleft  for  me,"  "Some  day  the  silver  cord  will 
break,"  or  repeat  some  verse  of  Scripture.  What  im- 
pressed us  all  was  the  reality  and  appropriateness  of 
the  sentiments  expressed.  That  was  a  hallowed  spot; 
that  was  a  sacred  hour,  and  as  we  knelt  we  felt  that 
it  was  the  threshold  of  the  presence  chamber  of  God. 
Several  of  the  Hindustani  brethren  with  whom  he  had 
so  long  labored  offered  tender  and  earnest  prayers. 
Miss  Thoburn  then  offered  a  wonderful  prayer,  full  of 
triumph ;  a  triumph  into  which  she  herself  was  so  soon 
to  enter.  The  veil  was  very  thin  that  day  and  she 
talked  face  to  face  with  God.  She  began  by  saying, 
"O  God,  there  is  no  death ;  in  Christ  all  is  life,  life,  eter- 
nal life,  abundant,  victorious  life,"  and  then  she  went 
on,  step  by  step,  vanquishing  all  doubt  and  fear  and 
darkness  and  sorrow  by  realizing  to  herself  and  to  us 
all  the  presence  of  an  almighty  and  risen  Saviour  who 
gives  us  overwhelming  victory. 

There,  in  a  ledge  of  the  Himalayas,  in  the  sight  of 
the  placid  lake,  Naini  Tal,  in  view  of  the  churches  and 
schools  that  he  had  done  so  much  to  establish,  almost 
on  the  very  spot  where  forty-three  years  before  Dr. 
Butler  had  laid  the  foundation  of  the  first  Methodist 
Church  in  India,  surrounded  by  loving  friends  and 
companions  in  conflict  for  India's  redemption,  he  quiet- 
ly closed  his  eyes  on  earth  to  open  them  in  heaven. 
There  was  a  few  moments'  silence,  and  then  Dr.  T.  J. 
Scott  led  in  prayer,  beginning  "O  God,  we  turn  to 
thee,"  and  in  tender,  loving  words  consecrated  us  all  to 

the  work  yet  remaining  to  be  done. 

303 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

The  concourse  that  followed  the  silent  form  to  the 
cemetery  was  very  large.  It  filled  the  intervening  val- 
ley and  extended  up  the  mountains  on  either  side.  We 
laid  him  in  the  bosom  of  a  mighty  mountain,  where  he 
rests,  by  the  side  of  Phoebe  Rowe,  till  the  heavens  be 

no  more. 

304 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 


IN  this  appendix  will  be  found  a  number  of  papers  which  were 
not  originally  prepared  for  this  volume,  and  yet  ought  to  find 
a  place  between  its  covers.  The  first  two  articles  are  reprinted 
from  the  Indian  Witness,  and  were  written  by  Bishop  Parker 
during  his  last  illness.  There  is  an  account  of  the  memorial 
services  held  at  Bishop  Parker's  American  home,  St.  Johns- 
bury,  Vt.,  and  the  full  text  is  given  of  the  eloquent  address  by 
the  Rev.  J.  O.  Sherburne.  There  are  other  extracts  from  period- 
icals. The  resolutions  passed  by  the  Mission  Board  at  New 
York,  and  an  extract  from  the  report  of  the  Committee  on 
Memoirs  of  the  North  India  Conference  are  also  given.  Papers 
from  Bishop  Thoburn,  Bishop  Foss,  Dr.  J.  W.  Waugh,  Dr. 
Leonard,  which  were  read  at  the  North  India  Conference  me- 
morial service,  Moradabad,  have  been  inserted ;  and  also  the 
address  given  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Robinson  at  the  memorial  service 
in  Calcutta. 

Some  of  these  papers  reproduce  ideas  and  statements  which 
are  found  in  the  body  of  this  work.  They  are  confirmatory  and 
illustrative  of  the  longer  records.  Persons  who  may  not  wish 
to  read  the  entire  volume  can  find  in  some  of  these  papers  in 
the  appendix  such  a  summary  of  the  character  and  services  of 
Bishop  Parker  as  will  give  them  n  clear  and  correct  idea  of  the 

manner  of  man  he  was. 

(20)  305 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

A  Revival — Its  Lessons 

(BISHOP  E.  W.  PARKER,  IN  THE  "INDIAN  WITNESS") 

More  than  forty  years  ago,  when  I  graduated  from  the  Bib- 
lical School  and  joined  Conference,  I  was  sent  to  what  was 
known  as  a  very  hard  circuit.  The  Sunday  school  had  been 
given  up  for  a  time  on  account  of  unfavorable  circumstances, 
there  were  no  class  meetings  or  prayer  meetings  held,  and  the 
attendance  at  Sabbath  service  was  small.  The  Sunday  school 
was  at  once  renewed,  the  class  meeting  was  appointed,  and  other 
means  taken  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  church.  At  the 
first  class  meeting  three  women  and  one  man,  besides  ourselves, 
attended,  but  we,  after  praying  and  talking  together,  pledged 
ourselves  to  pray  regularly  and  earnestly  for  a  revival  of  re- 
ligion in  that  community.  This  pledge  was  faithfully  kept  and 
often  referred  to  in  later  meetings,  and  as  others  came  to  the 
class  meeting  they  were  also  pledged  to  this  prayer. 

The  work  of  the  Sabbath  in  that  circuit  was  so  arranged  that 
the  preacher  had  three  preaching  services  every  Sabbath.  At 
the  Central  Church  the  afternoon  service  closed  about  three 
o'clock,  and  there  was  no  evening  service.  When  evenings  be- 
came longer,  in  October,  an  evening  service  in  the  Central 
Church  was  also  opened,  called  a  prayer  meeting,  but  there 
were  so  few  people  to  pray  or  exhort  that  we  had  to  turn  it 
into  a  preaching  service  followed  by  a  prayer  meeting.  All  of 
these  services  were  conducted  with  an  object  of  gaining  the  re- 
vival for  which  we  were  praying.  Interest  increased  in  the 
community  in  the  Sunday  evening  services  until  at  each  Sabbath 
evening  the  country  church  was  well  filled.  At  the  close  of  the 
service  one  Sabbath  evening  an  invitation  was  given  for  seekers 
who  wished  to  become  real  Christians  to  arise.  This  was  such 
a  very  strange  circumstance  that  it  led  to  a  great  deal  of  com- 
ment during  the  week  following.  On  the  next  Sunday  evening 
a  man  of  middle  age,  a  leading  business  man  of  the  community, 
the  head  of  a  family,  arose  just  before  the  close  of  the  meeting 
and  with  an  outburst  of  feeling  that  sent  a  thrill  through  the 
entire  congregation  exclaimed,  "I  am  determined  from  hence- 
forth and  for  evermore  to  be  a  Christian."  The  effect  upon 
the  congregation  cannot  be  described.  This  man  was  converted. 
Soon  other  middle-aged  men  and  women,  with  many  young 
people,  followed  his  example  and  sought  Christ.  Extra  meetings 
were  arranged  and  for  weeks  the  work  went  forward,  bringing 
in  the  best  people  of  the  community  as  well  as  the  most  ungodly 

306 


from  every  part  of  the  country  town.  Farmers  from  the  hills 
and  valleys  came  and  confessed  Christ  and  became  happy  in  his 
service.  A  sister  church  near  by  also  became  awakened,  and 
many  young  people  of  that  church  were  also  converted  in  our 
meetings.  The  revival  was  notable  in  this  that  it  gathered  in 
so  many  heads  of  families  who  had  neglected  Christ  for  years, 
as  well  as  many  young  people.  The  fruits  of  the  revival  lived 
and  are  alive  and  fresh  still. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  special  efforts  we -were  appointed 
to  India,  and  left  the  circuit  in  the  middle  of  tlie  year.  On  the 
last  day  of  our  preaching  in  that  circuit  one  family  who  had 
held  out  through  all  the  meetings  broke  down,  confessed  Christ, 
and  were  happily  converted.  This  man  became  a  noted  class 
leader,  well  known  throughout  that  entire  Conference  for  his 
works'  sake.  Another  middle-aged  man,  whose  wife  was  a 
Christian,  in  bidding  us  Good-bye  pledged  himself  to  the  service 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  was  for  many  years  a  steward  in 
the  Church. 

There  are  a  few  lessons  that  we  may  learn  from  this  revival, 
ist,  The  beginning  of  it  was  a  covenant  between  the  pastor  and 
a  few  earnest  souls  in  his  church  that  they  would  pray  for  a 
revival.  2d,  Means  were  taken  week  by  week  to  bring  about 
this  result,  not  only  by  the  pastor  but  by  these  pledged  members. 
3d,  In  answer  to  these  earnest  prayers,  extending  through  weeks, 
the  Spirit  of  God  had  penetrated  to  many  homes  and  a  convic- 
tion was  awakened  in  many  hearts  of  parents  and  young  people 
throughout  the  community,  so  that  when  the  work  commenced 
it  proved  successful  in  gathering  in  the  thoughtful,  earnest  people 
of  the  community.  4th,  The  converts  of  the  revival  nearly  all 
lived  and  grew  and  remain  faithful  until  to-day.  After  more 
than  forty  years  that  revival  work  is  often  referred  to  in  that 
community. 

One  other  result  of  that  notable  meeting  might  be  mentioned. 
The  enemy  had  often  tempted  the  young  pastor  to  believe  that 
he  had  made  a  great  mistake  in  giving  up  his  business  prospects 
to  become  a  minister,  and  many  doubts  arose  in  his  own  mind 
from  time  to  time  on  this  question ;  but  when  God  gave  us  this 
seal  to  our  ministry  no  more  doubts  ever  found  place  in  our 
hearts.  This  meeting  was  a  wonderful  preparation  for  the  work 
that  was  to  follow  in  India  and  has  been  an  inspiration  and  an 
encouragement  all  the  way.  In  our  efforts  for  a  revival  in  our 
churches  in  India  may  we  not  learn  something  from  this  revival 
of  many  years  ago!1 

307 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


All  Must  Help 

(BISHOP  E.  W.  PARKER,  IN  THE  "INDIAN  WITNESS") 

In  the  effort  known  as  the  Forward  Movement,  in  seeking  for 
a  revival  in  the  Church  all  round  the  world  during  this  coming 
year,  our  Lord  needs  the  help  of  all  his  people.  He  cannot  do 
this  work  alone.  He  cannot  do  all  the  work  that  he  would  ac- 
complish withojut  the  aid  of  all  his  people,  whatever  their  con- 
dition and  circumstances  may  be.  To  whatever  extent  God's 
people,  men,  women,  and  children,  lend  a  helping  hand,  to  that 
extent  the  work  will  succeed.  Hence  the  importance  of  every 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  everyone  interested  in  the  success  of 
this  movement,  seeking  to  enlist  everyone  who  loves  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  this  great  work. 

Our  Lord  needs  witnesses.  His  enemies  still  deny  his  claims 
and  his  work,  still  deny  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God  and  the 
Divine  Saviour  of  the  world.  Christ  can  only  establish  his 
claims  through  witnesses  who  can  stand  up  before  the  world  and 
clearly  testify  to  the  claims  and  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  As 
witnesses  the  Lord  Jesus  needs  all  classes  and  conditions  of 
men,  and  he  needs  witnesses  who  can  testify  clearly  that  he  is 
indeed  the  great  Saviour  of  mankind.  Every  follower  of  Christ 
should  come  forward  at  this  time  ready  to  testify  for  the  Master. 
Has  he  done  a  divine  work  in  your  soul,  proving  himself  your 
Divine  Saviour?  Then  be  ready  to  help  him  with  your  testi- 
mony and  let  the  great  fact  be  known.  Has  he,  with  his  divine 
right  and  power,  forgiven  all  your  sins?  Then  be  ready  to  testify 
that  you  know  that  he  has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins  and 
to  forgive  sins  now.  Has  he  raised  you  from  the  death  of  sin  into 
a  life  of  righteousness,  so  that  the  life  you  now  live,  you  live  in 
Christ,  and  so  that  you  have  entered  into  the  everlasting  life 
which  is  through  faith  in  him?  Then  testify  everywhere  of  this 
fact,  and  let  the  unsaved  know  that  Jesus  indeed  rose  from  the 
dead  and  has  raised  you  from  death  to  life  in  him.  India,  among 
Europeans  and  among  Indians,  needs  such  testimonies  as  these 
more  than  anything  else. 

In  the  new  movement  one  hundred  thousand  volunteers  were 
called  for.  It  was  hoped  that  these  would  mostly  be  lay  mem- 
bers, men,  women,  and  young  people  in  the  Church,  and  the  hope 
was  that  these  would  all  become  special  witnesses  for  Christ; 
that  business  men  would  seek  out  unsaved  men  of  their  class  and 
tell  them  the  story  of  their  own  salvation;  that  women  would 

308 


APPENDIX 

in  the  same  way  testify  as  opportunity  might  offer  with  the  hope 
of  bringing  friends  to  Christ;  that  the  young  people  in  their 
societies,  in  the  Sunday  schools,  in  the  homes,  everywhere, 
would  try  to  save  other  young  people  through  telling  them  of 
this  great  truth  and  bearing  testimony  to  its  results.  In  speak- 
ing of  these  volunteers  to  one  pastor  in  America  he  remarked 
that  he  had  not  called  for  volunteers,  as  all  his  people  were  vol- 
unteers already.  In  a  sense  this  was  true,  and  yet  in  a  special 
sense  we  are  calling  for  volunteers  in  this  work.  There  are 
many  volunteer  companies  in  India  under  the  British  Govern- 
ment, and  they  are  very  valuable  in  their  communities,  but  the 
Lumsdon  Horse  formed  a  company  of  volunteers  of  a  very  dif- 
ferent class  and  for  a  very  special  work.  For  special  work, 
then,  this  movement  calls  for  volunteers,  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
needs  every  true  follower  in  this  corps. 

The  work  to  be  done  everywhere  is,  first  of  all,  to  lead  those 
in  our  congregations  who  are  our  friends  and  supporters,  yet  are 
unsaved,  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  they  may  become  true 
Christians  and  members  of  the  household  of  faith.  The  next 
work  is  to  find  the  indifferent,  careless,  godless  Christians  in 
our  communities,  and  seek  to  interest  them,  lead  them  to  the 
church,  and  bring  them  to  Christ.  This  can  only  be  done  by  per- 
sonal effort.  And  hence  the  need  of  the  volunteers  and  witnesses. 

In  our  great  Hindustani  work  in  the  large  cities,  like  Lucknow, 
the  conditions  are  very  much  the  same  as  among  Europeans. 
There  are  in  our  Lord's  congregation  regular  attendants  and 
friends  who  are  unconverted;  these  we  must  save.  There  are 
many  others  in  the  community  who  have  become  careless  and 
ungodly,  do  not  attend  church,  and  are  in  no  respect  Christian^ 
except  in  name;  these  must  be  sought  out,  gathered  in.  and 
saved,  and  this  can  never  be  done  except  by  personal  work.  Who 
will  volunteer  in  all  such  large  cities? 

In  our  extended  work  among  uneducated  people,  where  we 
have  many  nominal  Christians,  the  work  is  different  and  yet 
must  be  carried  on  in  the  same  way.  Volunteers,  witnesses, 
must  be  organized  and  set  to  work  personally  among  these 
masses  in  order  that  they  may  be  saved  truly.  The  Lord  Jesus 
in  this  great  movement  needs  the  aid  of  every  one  of  his  tme 
followers.  Would  that  every  true  Christian  may  come  forward 
and  do  what  he  or  she  can  do  to  help  the  Lord  Jesus  save  many 
in  India  this  year. 

309 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 


The  Last  Things 

AT  NAINI  TAL 

There  are  always  a  number  of  missionaries  in  Naini  Tal  in 
the  month  of  June.  It  is  the  hottest  month  of  the  year,  and  is 
vacation  time  for  most  of  the  schools.  The  finance  committee 
of  the  North  India  Conference  had  arranged  to  have  its  mid- 
year meeting  on  the  5th  of  June  in  Naini  Tal ;  and  thus  it  was 
that  a  large  number  of  the  missionaries  of  the  North  India  Con- 
ference, with  their  wives  and  the  missionaries  of  the  W.  F. 
M.  S.,  were  at  Spring  Cottage  when  Bishop  Parker  breathed  his 
last.  Bishop  Warne,  just  returned  from  Manila,  reached  Naini 
Tal  some  twenty  hours  after  his  colleague's  death,  but  was  in 
time  to  lead  the  funeral  service,  at  which  time,  with  one  single 
exception,  all  the  families  of  the  missionaries  of  the  North  India 
Conference  and  many  native  missionaries  were  present.  Mourn- 
ful representations  are  sometimes  made  of  missionaries  dying 
alone,  as  Livingstone  did,  in  a  foreign  land.  Bishop  Parker's 
translation  was  not  under  such  circumstances.  If  he  had  died 
at  his  father's  home  in  St.  Johnsbury  his  bed  would  hardly  have 
been  surrounded  by  such  a  company  of  brothers  and  sisters  as 
saw  him  breathe  his  last. 

AT  ST.  JOHNSBURY,  VT. 

A  month  later  a  company  of  old  time  friends  in  Vermont 
gathered  in  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  St.  Johns- 
bury,  to  honor  the  memory  of  the  departed.  The  Vermont 
Messenger  reports  the  service: 

It  was  particularly  fitting  that  a  memorial  service  should  be 
held  in  St.  Johnsbury,  for  it  was  Bishop  Parker's  home  and,  as 
one  of  the  speakers  expressed  it,  there  was  no  place  in  the  world 
so  dear  to  the  heart  of  this  great  and  good  man,  excepting,  of 
course,  his  beloved  India.  A  special  printed  program  was  is- 
sued. The  service  began  with  an  organ  prelude  by  Miss  Mar- 
jorie  Batchelder,  and  the  male  quartette  of  the  church  rendered 
the  twenty-third  Psalm.  Rev.  A.  C.  Hussey,  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  led  in  the  responsive  reading  of  the  ninetieth  Psalm. 
Prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  E.  M.  Chapman,  of  the  North 
Church.  Rev.  G.  W.  Hunt,  pastor  of  Grace  Church,  read  a 
memoir  of  Bishop  Parker  in  which  he  traced  the  chief  events 

310 


APPENDIX 

of  his  life  from  his  school  days,  and  the  brief  period  when  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Vermont  Conference  and  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Lunenburg,  and  through  the  more  than  forty  years  of 
distinguished  work  in  India. 

The  memorial  addresses  were  delivered  by  Rev.  Sylvester 
Donaldson,  of  St.  Johnsbury  Center,  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  T.  Fair- 
banks, of  the  South  Congregational  Church,  and  Presiding  Elder 
J.  O.  Sherburne.  Mr.  Donaldson  said  that  it  was  a  pleasure  for 
him  to  be  present,  as  representing  the  church  with  which  Bishop 
Parker  was  first  connected  and  through  which  he  was  led  to  be- 
come a  minister  of  the  cross.  He  paid  a  tribute  to  the  mission- 
ary's great-heartedness  and  related  incidents  that  occurred 
during  his  visits  to  his  native  land.  Dr.  Fairbanks  spoke  of 
Bishop  Parker's  connection  with  St.  Johnsbury  and  of  the  high 
place  he  occupied  among  the  sons  of  the  town  who  have  gone 
out  into  various  fields  of  activity. 

Rev.  J.  O.  Sherburne's  address,  which  follows,  was  a  notable 
tribute  to  the  noble  missionary  from  a  brother  minister  who 
knew  him  well,  and  also  knows  well  the  history  of  his  great 
work  in  India : 

When  a  steady  star  has  sunken  from  our  sight,  and  its  bril- 
liancy no  longer  cheers  and  charts  us,  it  is  only  natural  and 
perhaps  wise  to  consider  what  gave  our  star  its  luster,  how  it 
came  to  be  reckoned  as  one  of  our  sure  guides.  When  a  life- 
giving  river  has  run  dry,  and  even  the  trees  that  line  its  banks 
wither  and  grow  sere,  we  are  prompted  to  ask  whence  had  our 
stream  its  former  fullness?  From  what  forest  fountains  was  it 
fed?  Why  such  perennial  profit  from  its  flow?  When  exquisite 
music  has  ceased  and  its  thrill  or  its  calm  arc  vanishing,  we  are 
moved  to  make  inquiry  as  to  why  its  strains  so  charmed  us,  and 
what  in  the  construction  of  its  chords  so  moved  our  hearts. 

The  grand  luminary  of  our  work  in  India  has  gone  below  our 
horizon.  The  spiritual  Nile  of  North  India  has  ceased  its  flow, 
the  cathedral  harmonies  of  a  pure,  majestic  life  have  fainted 
from  our  ears.  Bishop  Parker  lives  on  earth  no  longer.  May 
it  not  befit  us,  as  his  friends,  and  in  some  sense  his  associates, 
to  inquire  for  a  little  this  quiet  Sabbath  afternoon  into  the  se- 
cret of  his  greatness,  the  sources  of  his  power? 

Among  the  many  excellencies  of  his  character  I  shall  at  this 
time  only  call  attention  to  three  prominent  traits  that  seem  to 
rise  like  symmetrical  summits  before  the  eyes  of  all  beholders. 
This  is  by  no  means  saying  that  other  characteristics  were  not 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

striking,  or  that  these  peaks  were  positively  higher  than  any 
others,  but  rather  that  they  stand  out  with  such  prominence  as 
to  catch  and  hold  the  gaze  of  all  who  look  that  way. 

First,  Bishop  Parker  was  a  man  of  single  purpose  and  of  one 
work.  From  the  time  when,  after  no  slight  struggle,  he  gave  up 
his  own  plan  of  a  teacher's  career  and  decided  to  give  himself 
to  the  ministry  and  to  mission  work  in  India,  just  one  purpose 
dominated  all  his  powers.  On  his  charge  in  Lunenburg  he  read 
the  call  for  workers  in  that  distant  field  just  opening.  In  a 
winter's  storm  he  drove  with  his  young  wife  to  this  town  to 
consult  his  presiding  elder,  who  still  lives  within  our  borders. 
So  disguised  with  wraps  and  snowy  mantle  were  the  couple 
that  their  elder  did  not  recognize  them  as  they  drove  to  his  door. 
The  cause  of  their  coming  was  soon  explained.  Would  the 
elder  commend  them  to  the  missionary  society  of  the  Methodist 
church  for  work  in  India?  There  was  hesitation.  The  matter 
was  canvassed.  They  prayed  together  for  counsel  from  Heaven. 
The  elder  craved  a  few  days  to  deliberate.  He  was  doubtful  as 
to  their  qualifications.  But  the  young  couple  never  wavered. 
They  had  already  fixed  their  plans  and  were  determined  as  to 
the  future  if  the  way  should  open.  From  that  time  on  to  the 
day  of  death  there  was  no  swerving  in  purpose  on  the  part  of 
Bishop  Parker  or  his  wife.  One  straight  course  he  walked.  One 
work  consumed  all  his  energies  and  occupied  all  his  time.  With 
him  there  was  no  exploiting  in  mission  work.  No  three  years 
of  trial  service.  His  lifetime  and  his  life  were  both  swallowed 
up  in  the  great  work  to  which  he  had  absolutely  given  all.  He 
was  not  in  India  as  a  naturalist,  to  study  her  fauna  and  flora, 
and  make  interesting  collections,  though  these  things  did  not 
escape  his  notice.  He  was  not  there  as  a  philosopher  or  a  social 
science  expert,  though  he  could  have  given  valuable  hints  to  all 
these  men  along  their  special  lines.  He  was  not  in  India  as  a 
politician,  though  well  abreast  of  the  times  in  his  comprehen- 
sion of  the  very  grave  questions  of  government  in  that  country. 
His  work  was  to  aid  in  planting  Christianity  in  that  far  land ; 
to  help  his  King  in  the  conquest  of  the  world. 

He  knew  no  other  calling.  All  his  powers  were  trained  to  this 
one  line  of  doing.  His  was  Paul's  dictum,  "I  am  determined  to 
know  nothing  among  you  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified." 
Morning,  noon,  and  night,  in  early  manhood,  in  life's  midday, 
and  when  the  shades  drew  on,  he  was  ever  active  in  his  chosen 
field.  Life  had  for  him  little  meaning  else.  He  could  say  in  verity 
"The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up."  Every  item  of 

312 


APPENDIX 

nerve  vigor,  every  acquisition  of  mind,  all  potencies  of  heart  and 
soul  were  gratefully  given  to  his  grand  work.  Relieved  of  the 
boon  and  the  burden  of  family  care,  he  could  the  more  readily 
give  his  whole  time  and  energy  to  the  one  calling  to  which  every- 
thing was  pledged,  and  most  perfectly  was  the  vow  performed. 
On  a  furlough  or  in  the  field,  in  the  mountains  or  on  the  plains, 
rainy  season  or  dry,  the  redemption  of  India  was  his  sole  theme, 
his  constant  task. 

Every  man  becomes  great  who  is  wholly  given  to  a  great 
cause,  and  this  totality  of  consecration  is  surest  proof  of  in- 
trinsic greatness. 

Another  noteworthy  characteristic  of  Bishop  Parker  was  his 
marvelous  industry.  "I  must  work  the  work  of  him  that  sent 
me"  seems  to  have  been  his  lifelong  motto.  Toil  with  him  was 
not  degraded  to  a  task.  He  took  up  labor  with  a  zest  and  prose- 
cuted it  with  unflagging  cheerfulness.  On  his  outbound  voyage 
he  was  industriously  studying  as  best  he  could  the  Hindustani 
tongue,  in  which  he  expected  to  preach  Jesus  to  the  men  of 
India.  And  from  that  time  on  he  was  perpetually  busy,  heart  and 
hand,  with  the  books,  the  leaflets,  the  periodicals,  the  schools, 
the  mission  compounds,  the  preachers'  homes,  the  churches,  col- 
leges, orphanages,  famine-relief  offices,  and  all  the  vas't  enter- 
prises of  his  great  and  growing  work.  Once  he  said,  "In  all 
the  years  since  I  left  America,  from  the  General  Conference  of 
1896  till  I  reembarked  for  that  of  1900,  I  have  not  seen  a  day's 
vacation.  And  with  him  a  day's  work  meant  something.  Once 
in  the  writer's  home  he  gave  a  schedule  of  a  Sunday's  work  in 
Moradabad.  An  early  morning  service  before  7  A.  M.  ;  a  short 
sermon  and  general  class,  sometimes  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town ; 
regular  church  service  in  the  mid-forenoon ;  at  2  P.  M.  a  long 
walk  to  the  center  of  the  city  to  visit  and  aid  in  Sabbath  schools, 
sometimes  visiting  three  during  an  afternoon ;  League  service 
at  6:30  and  preaching  at  the  barracks  before  the  English  soldiers 
at  8  p.  M. 

Few  men  in  literary  or  professional  life  average  to  put  in 
eight  hours  of  real  work  per  day.  and  their  working  weeks  have 
many  vacations  interspersed.  Bishop  Parker  knew  another  kind 
of  labor,  wherein  scarce  a  day  knew  less  than  eight  hours  of 
actual  toil,  and  these  often  doubled,  and  on  occasion  eighteen 
or  twenty  hours  put  in  with  only  slight  recess  for  meals.  This 
kind  of  service,  on  and  on  through  years,  with  little  intermis- 
sion— save  on  shipboard:  for  on  this  side  of  the  sea  he  was  busy 
as  beyond  with  the  life-consuming  work  for  his  loved  India.  In 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

two  General  Conferences,  where  it  was  my  privilege  to  sit 
with  him  through  the  protracted  sessicfhs  and  in  many  committee 
meetings,  I  can  hardly  remember  of  his  being  absent  a  single  hour 
from  his  appointed  place.  And  a  picture  that  will  ever  live  in 
memory  is  that  of  Dr.  Parker  and  his  wife,  arm  in  arm,  with 
the  smile  of  heaven  upon  their  faces,  walking  briskly  to  the 
Exposition  Building  at  Omaha  or  the  Armory  at  Cleveland,  at 
just  about  three  minutes  before  nine. 

His  labor  ended  only  with  his  life.  Only  a  few  hours  before 
his  death  he  was  in  consultation  with  his  leading  colleague  on 
matters  pertaining  to  the  finances  of  the  Mission.  With  him  to 
live  was  to  labor;  life  without  work  was  meaningless  to  him. 
It  is  not  strange  that  he  scarcely  reached  his  three  score  and  ten 
when  we  reflect  that  he  put  into  fifty  years  of  life  more  actual 
service  than  the  ordinary  hard  worker  gets  into  seventy.  To 
my  thought  it  is  safe  to  calculate  that  Methodism  in  North  India 
is  twice  as  large  as  it  would  have  been  had  Bishop  Parker  been 
only  a  man  of  average  application  and  industry.  His  example  of 
prodigious  activity  has  proved  a  contagion  among  all  his  asso- 
ciates and  native  helpers — and  the  end  is  not  yet.  The  effect  of 
the  monumental  industry  of  John  Wesley  has  not  spent  itself  in 
these  i  ro  years  since  his  death.  All  the  ranks  of  Methodism  feel 
its  impulse  and  impact  still.  So,  I  think,  it  will  be  with  the  in- 
fant Church  in  India.  Generations  yet  to  come  will  be  molded 
and  inspired  by  the  scrupulous  fidelity  and  phenomenal  industry 
of  Edwin  W.  Parker. 

A  third  prominent  trait  was  his  almost  perfect  unselfishness. 
Because  he  thought  last  of  himself  he  was  ready  always  to  serve 
others.  And  even  heathen  soon  perceived  that  he  came  not  to 
be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister.  In  some  sections  and  in 
earlier  times  the  bandits  of  India  tried  to  inflame  the  people 
against  the  missionaries  on  the  ground  that  these  foreigners 
were  among  them  only  to  make  gain.  But  with  such  men  as 
Bishop  Parker  laboring  there  for  years  every  traducing  tongue 
was  stopped.  And  because  of  this  commendation  of  the  Gospel 
which  the  American  missionaries  carried  to  North  India  that 
Gospel  can  never  be  rooted  up.  Its  foundation  is  in  that  love 
which  never  faileth.  And  with  no  thought  of  unfavorable  com- 
parison, and  no  desire  to  disparage  the  work  of  hundreds  of 
noble  missionaries  and  native  helpers  who  had  the  true  spirit 
of  Christian  sacrifice,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  this  noble 
Christian  altruism  which  has  so  marvelously  marked  the  career 
of  our  missionaries  and  churches  in  that  plague-cursed,  famine- 

314 


APPENDIX 

smitten  region  is  due  more  to  the  words  and  works  of  Edwin 
W.  Parker  than  to  those  of  any  other  man ;  I  might  safely  say 
any  half  score  of  men. 

The  world  knows  little  of  the  kindliness  of  that  great  New 
England  heart  that  beat  in  the  breast  of  this  devoted  follower 
of  Him  who  saved  others  though  himself  he  could  not  and  would 
not  save.  And  when  the  King  Eternal  shall  say,  "Come,  sit  at 
my  right  hand ;  for  I  was  thirsty  and  ye  gave  me  drink,  I  was 
hungry  and  ye  fed  me,  naked  and  ye  clothed  me,  sick  and  ye 
visited  me,"  uncounted  thousands  from  teeming  India  will  re- 
spond in  Babel  tongues  and  variant  dialects,  "All  this  has  Sahib 
Parker  done  for  Jesus  in  the  person  of  his  humblest  followers." 


Tribute  by  a  Fellow-missionary 

("J.  H.  M.,"  IN  "ZION'S  HERALD") 

Readers  of  Zion's  Herald  have  heard  by  cable  of  the  death 
of  Bishop  Parker  at  Naini  Tal  on  the  4th  of  June,  1901.  Bishop 
Thoburn  and  other  friends  and  fellow-laborers  of  our  lamented 
leader  have  no  doubt  given  the  Church  full  and  loving  accounts 
of  him  whom  the  Church  so  honored  and  loved,  and  who  served 
her  so  faithfully  and  successfully  in  India  during  the  past  forty- 
two  years.  Yet  we,  who  have  been  his  fellow-workers  here  and 
who  have  been  at  his  bedside  during  the  long  struggle,  which 
ended  so  peacefully  yesterday,  have  the  mournful  yet  pleasant 
privilege  of  adding  our  testimony  to  the  worth  of  this  good 
man's  life  and  of  expressing  our  sorrow  at  his  removal. 

Bishop  Ninde  died  suddenly  and  alone  in  the  silent  night. 
Bishop  Parker,  after  a  severe  illness  which  lasted  more  than 
seven  months,  died  on  a  bright  afternoon,  surrounded  by  a  score 
or  more  of  missionaries,  men  and  women,  some  of  whom  had 
faithfully,  day  and  night,  assisted  Mrs.  Parker  in  loving  and 
skillful  care  of  her  husband,  which  made  it  possible  for  him  to 
make  such  a  prolonged  and  heroic  struggle  for  his  life.  Months 
before  the  end  came  those  who  were  in  constant  attendance  re- 
alized that  this  would  be  a  sickness  unto  death;  but  neither  the 
Bishop  nor  Mrs.  Parker  gave  up  hope  of  his  recovery  until  a 
few  days  before  the  end  came.  His  mind  was  clear  during  all 
his  sickness;  within  two  or  three  days  of  his  departure  he  was 
in  frequent  consultation  with  the  missionaries  concerning  our 
work,  and  within  an  hour  or  two  of  his  death,  though  unable  to 
speak,  he  gave  intelligent  attention  to  all  that  was  passing  about 
him.  His  end  was  peaceful  and  apparently  painless. 

315 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

It  is  not  easy  for  those  unacquainted  with  the  peculiar  posi- 
tion which  Edwin  W.  Parker  filled  for  the  past  twenty-five  or 
thirty  years  in  North  India  to  realize  the  character  of  the  be- 
reavement that  has  come  to  us.  Among  the  missionaries,  and  in 
a  still  greater  degree  among  the  hundreds  of  native  ministers  in 
the  two  northern  Conferences,  the  sense  of  personal  loss  is  very 
great.  "My  father,  the  chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  there- 
of," is  in  the  hearts  of  thousands.  There  are  two  kinds  of  men 
in  the  world — those  who  help,  and  those  who  do  not.  E.  W. 
Parker  was  a  man  who  helped ; .  a  man  to  whom  those  about 
him  naturally  looked  for  help.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say 
that  hundreds  of  native  ministers  and  other  native  Christians 
will  mourn  his  removal  because  his  helping  hand  did  so  much 
to  make  them  what  they  are.  He  was  bishop  for  one  year  only ; 
and  during  most  of  that  year  he  was  fighting  for  his  life  and 
could  do  but  little  work.  But  he  had  been  doing  bishop's  work 
long  years  before  the  General  Conference  made  him  one;  and 
there  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  the  disease  which  at  last  removed 
him  from  among  us  was  directly  caused  by  the  unusually  heavy 
work  he  carried  during  the  twelve  months  preceding  his  elec- 
tion to  the  episcopacy.  He  was  an  enthroned  episcopos  in  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  hundreds  of  native  ministers,  local  preach- 
ers, and  men  of  that  sort.  Methodism  is  not  supposed  to  have 
popes  or  cardinals;  but  certainly  for  many  years  past  Dr.  Park- 
er's voice  in  Conference  and  in  committee  work  has  been  ex 
cathedra  for  the  great  majority  of  missionaries  and  ministers 
here. 

He  was  a  providential  man  for  India ;  a  man  who  built  up 
interests;  a  man  of  strong  hand  and  very  tender  heart.  Among 
the  Sikhs  and  Chamars  of  Rohilkhand  he  perceived  the  won- 
derful providential  openings  of  forty  years,  and  the  wise  and 
resolute  manner  in  which  he  did  his  work  among  them  is  abund- 
antly declared  on  the  statistical  pages  of  Indian  Methodism. 

And  in  all  of  this  strong  man's  work,  and  in  all  his  success, 
it  was  well  known  that  he  accomplished  what  he  did  because  in 
everything  he  was  assisted  by  the  unique  wisdom  and  strength 
of  her  who,  after  a  happy  married  life  of  nearly  half  a  century. 
now  sits  and  weeps  alone.  He  is  where  he  has  no  need  of  our 
recognition,  or  sympathy,  or  prayers.  She  is  with  us,  and  I  do 
not  think  that  a  bereaved  wife  has  ever  inherited  a  richer  legacy 
of  sympathy  and  confidence  than  is  given  and  will  be  given  by 
the  Church  in  India  and  America  to  the  widow  of  Bishop  E.  W. 
Parker. 

316 


APPENDIX 


Official  Utterances 

The  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  under  whose  direction  Bishop 
Parker  had  carried  so  many  enterprises  to  success,  adopted  the 
following  Minute,  dated  June  18,  1901 : 

The  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  heard  with  great  sorrow  of  the 
death  of  Bishop  Edwin  W.  Parker,  at  Naini  Tal,  India,  June  4. 
In  his  death  the  Church  mourns  the  loss  of  one  of  its  most  faith- 
ful and  efficient  missionaries. 

He  was  born  at  Stv  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  January  21,  1833,  and  was 
received  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1853.  After 
graduating  from  the  Concord  Biblical  Institute  in  1857  he  served 
as  a  pastor  in  the  Vermont  Conference  for  two  years.  He  was  or- 
dained deacon  and  elder  under  the  missionary  rule  at  the  New 
England  Conference  in  1859,  and  sailed  in  that  year  for  India 
in  company  with  C.  W.  Judd,  J.  W.  Waugh,  J.  M.  Thoburn,  and 
C.  R.  Downey. 

He  began  evangelistic  work  among  the  natives,  and  was  as- 
signed to  the  District  of  Bijnor,  among  a  million  of  people  who 
had  had  no  missionary  work  done  among  them.  He  rapidly 
acquired  the  Hindustani  language,  and  was  soon  appointed  to 
Moradabad,  where  he  had  the  privilege  of  receiving  a  large  num- 
ber of  converts  into  the  church. 

When  the  India  Conference  was  organized,  in  1864,  he  was 
appointed  presiding  elder,  and  filled  this  position,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three  years,  until  he  was  elected  bishop  by  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1900.  The  great  revival  movement  among 
the  natives  began  under  his  leadership  in  the  Rohilkhand  District 
in  1885.  Thas  district  has  since  been  divided  into  five  presiding 
elders'  districts. 

Bishop  Parker,  while  earnest  in  evangelistic  work,  was  no  less 
attentive  to  the  educational  work,  in  all  forms  of  which  he  took 
great  interest.  He  delighted  greatly  in  the  work  of  the  Gouchcr 
Schools  and  in  all  the  educational  progress  of  the  Mission.  He 
was  deeply  interested  also  in  the  Sunday  school  work,  and  in 
later  years  in  the  work  of  the  Epworth  League,  of  which  he  was 
made  the  president. 

Throughout  his  long  career  he  has  been  known  as  a  man  of 
deep  and  earnest  piety,  and  while  he  had  strong  convictions,  and 

317 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

was  always  earnest  in  following  them,  he  was  at  the  same  time 
patient  and  kind  toward  all  his  associates ;  so  that  throughout 
the  years  of  his  service  he  has  had  the  hearty  reverence  and 
affection  both  of  his  foreign  missionary  associates  and  of  the 
native  preachers  and  church  members. 

Although  the  failure  of  his  health  prevented  him  from  pre- 
siding at  a  single  Annual  Conference,  he  was  able,  before  he 
was  laid  aside,  to  perform  work  that  was  very  helpful  in  a  few 
District  Conferences  and  in  other  services  for  the  Church. 

In  the  fullness  of  an  heroic,  earnest,  and  successful  life  he 
has  been  called  to  his  heavenly  reward.  We  express  our  deepest 
sympathy  with  Mrs.  Parker  in  her  great  affliction,  and  with  the 
missionaries  and  native  preachers  and  members  in  all  Southern 
Asia  in  their  bereavement. 


The  North  India  Conference  Memorial 

At  the  session  of  the  North  India  Conference  following  Bishop 
Parker's  death  an  impressive  memorial  service  was  held.  Let- 
ters were  read  from  Bishop  Cyrus  D.  Foss,  who  had  seen  the 
great  missionary  in  the  prime  of  his  activity,  and  from  Bishop 
Thoburn  and  Rev.  J.  W.  Waugh  of  the  original  company  of 
missionaries  who  sailed  for  India  in  1859  m  the  ship  Boston,  as 
well  as  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Adna  B.  Leonard,  Secretary  of  the 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  report  of  the  Conference  Committee  on  Memoirs  in- 
cluded the  following  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  Dr.  T.  J.  Scott : 

His  varied  work,  and  the  spirit  with  which  it  was  carried  out, 
was  an  expression  of  the  man,  and  makes  it  easy  for  us  to  form 
an  estimate  of  his  character.  Bishop  Parker  was  a  consecrated 
man.  All  he  had  and  was  and  could  do  was  on  God's  altar. 
This  meant  all  his  strength  of  body,  mind,  heart,  and  will ;  his 
ability,  natural  and  acquired,  his  time  and  money  and  oppor- 
tunity. He  gave  all  to  God  and  his  work.  In  duty  he  was 
faithful.  At  Lucknow  in  the  earlier  days  of  his  final  illness, 
when  it  was  thought  he  could  not  recover,  he  said  to  the  writer 
of  this,  "I  have  tried  to  be  faithful."  Faithful  he  was  in  the 
largest  plan,  in  the  smallest. detail.  No  form  of  work  intrusted 
to  him  was  ever  neglected,  or  slighted  in  the  smallest  matter.  In 
all  his  earnestness  and  zeal  were  manifest.  There  was  no  more 
notable  example  of  true  enthusiasm  in  work.  Characters  of  ro- 
bust energy  are  sometimes  wanting  in  kindness,  but  his  was  a 


APPENDIX 

nature  of  gentle  sympathy  for  the  young,  for  the  weak  and  poor. 
His  work  for  the  young  and  for  Christians  struggling  with 
worldly  poverty  was  a  marked  feature  of  his  life. 

Bishop  Parker  filled  a  very  large  place  in  the  plans  and  suc- 
cess of  our  mission.  His  was  a  genius  for  work,  and  the  range 
of  work,  as  one  recalls  it,  was  marvelous.  As  the  apostle  said 
of  himself  we  may  say  of  our  departed  bishop :  "In  labors  more 
abundant."  Itinerating,  building,  superintending  education,  Sun- 
day school  work,  the  press,  temperance  work,  the  Epworth 
League,  these  and  more  are  words  that  suggest  the  widening 
sphere  of  our  lamented  fellow  worker.  On  all  these  lines  he 
initiated  much  of  the  activities  and  enterprises  of  our  mission. 
Perhaps  he  was  the  greatest  itinerater  and  camp  meeting  man 
we  have  had.  Tireless  in  building — many  of  our  structures  attest 
the  wisdom  and  enterprise  with  which  he  wrought.  An  enthu- 
siast in  Sunday  school  work,  he  was  always  at  it.  He  contrib- 
uted much  to  the  expansion  of  our  press,  contributing  with  his 
own  hand  to  the  publications.  He  was  equally  devoted  to  edu- 
cational work  and  did  much  to  promote  both  the  higher  and 
primary  education  of  our  mission.  Founder  and  patron  of  the 
Epworth  League  in  Southern  Asia,  he  did  much  to  make  it  a 
success.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  temperance  move- 
ment with  voice  and  pen  on  every  opportunity.  On  all  these 
lines  of  work  he  was  fertile  in  resource  and  tireless  in  pursuit. 
His  aid  in  founding  the  W.  F.  M.  Society,  of  which  he  was 
always  a  ready  friend,  is  a  matter  of  history. 

Bishop  Parker  was  a  man  of  both  legislative  and  executive 
ability.  Some  men  can  plan,  and  make  rules,  but  are  not  them- 
selves noted  for  effectiveness  in  carrying  to  success,  in  details. 
But  our  brother  seemed  equally  wise  and  at  home  in  largest 
planning  and  in  the  execution  of  minute  details.  Thus  he  built 
his  life  and  thought  into  our  mission  field  in  North  India  and  in 
a  measure  in  the  work  we  now  call  Southern  Asia.  No  mention 
of  such  a  career  would  be  at  all  complete  without  recognition 
of  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Parker,  who  mourns  and  feels  this  bereave- 
ment as  none  of  us  can,  was  an  inspiration  and  coordinate  spirit 
in  all  this  work.  We  will  not  cease  to  pray  that  a  loving  God 
may  continue  to  sustain  her  in  the  great  work  husband  and  wife 
built  together  till  the  day  it  pleases  Mm  to  join  them  again  amid 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect. 

But  a  life  of  such  varied  toil  and  exposure,  though  long  sus- 
tained, must  feel  the  strain.  Bishop  Parker,  stalwart  of  frame 
and  with  muscles  like  tempered  steel,  shrank  from  no  labor  or 

319 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

exposuie.  His  endurance  in  itinerations  and  fight  with  malaria 
in  the  attempt  to  found  a  Christian  community  in  the  Lakhimpur 
jungles  is  a  story  never  yet  fully  told  to  the  Church.  The  seeds 
of  death  were  then  sown. 

We  may  linger  a  moment  at  the  death  scene,  where,  as  writ- 
ten of  him  by  the  editor  of  The  Christian  Advocate,  "his  death 
in  the  field  must  have  been  pleasing  to  the  warrior."  His  last 
hours  were  calm  and  resigned,  but  there  was  thought  and  care 
for  the  loved  work.  The  ruling  passion  was  strong  in  death. 
To  the  last  letters  were  dictated  and  messages  sent.  One  has 
said,  "The  last  hours  of  a  cherished  friend  are  those  we  best 
remember.  There  is  a  meaning  in  his  words  which  death  alone 
gives  them."  By  a  fortunate  opportunity,  a  number  of  our  for- 
eign missionaries  and  Hindustani  workers  were  in  Naini  Tal 
and  were  present  in  the  last  hour.  There  was  recognition,  almost 
to  the  final  moment,  in  the  gentle  pressure  of  "the  vanishing 
hand."  As  a  restful  sleeper,  with  closed  eyes  he  passed  away 
amid  the  suppressed  tones  of  prayer  and  hymn.  "Servant  of 
God,  well  done !"  As  to  thy  mortal  body,  rest  till  sea  and  plain 
and  mountain  side  give  up  their  dead ! 

TRIBUTE  BY  BISHOP  JAMES  M.  THOBURN 

I  first  met  our  dear  brother  Parker  in  April,  1859,  when  we 
entered  upon  our  long  voyage  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
to  Calcutta.  Almost  immediately  be  became  one  in  sympathy, 
one  in  our  views  of  missionary  work,  one  in  our  convictions  of 
duty,  and  one  in  our  hopes  of  immediate  as  well  as  ultimate 
success.  From  the  day  of  our  first  meeting  down  to  the  time 
when  I  bade  him  adieu  at  Lake  Bluff,  in  Illinois,  a  short  time 
previous  to  his  departure  for  India,  our  mutual  confidence  and 
love  never  lapsed  and  never  lessened.  From  our  first  meeting, 
I  always  found  him  to  be  a  man  who  could  not  be  diverted  from 
his  great  life  work.  He  lived  for  nothing  else;  he  had  no  per- 
sonal interests  to  serve  apart  from  the  task  which  God  had 
given  him ;  and  never  for  one  moment  did  I  ever  hear  him  speak 
of  turning  aside  to  right  or  to  left.  First,  last,  and  always,  he 
was  a  Christian  missionary,  and  without  overlooking  the  in- 
terests of  other  fields  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  his 
own  personal  call  was  to  the  people  of  India. 

Bishop  Parker  was  a  practical  man  and  never  allowed  himself 
to  be  deceived  by  general  considerations  of  duty.  From  the  first, 
he  set  before  himself  clear  ideals,  and  so  laid  out  his  work  that 
it  might  all  point  to  practical  results.  He  also  understood,  and 

320 


APPENDIX 

never  allowed  himself  to  forget  that  in  the  beginning  of  a  mis- 
sionary's work  the  leader  must  also  be  a  worker.  Hence  he 
bore  a  part  in  every  task.  He  taught  in  the  first  schools  and 
Sunday  schools;  he  led  in  all  the  little  meetings  which  were 
held,  and  stood  by  his  brethren  in  the  bazaars,  where  most  of 
the  preaching  was  done;  he  made  constant  journeys  among  the 
villages ;  and  daily  might  be  found  engaged  in  humble  tasks 
which  missionaries  in  these  days  usually  find  others  ready  to 
undertake. 

He  was  a  great  worker.  He  was  never  idle,  and  in  his  earlier 
days  did  not  understand  the  necessity  for  systematic  rest.  As 
his  years  increased  he  corrected  this  error,  though  up  to  his 
last  working  day  in  India  he  was  able  probably  to  do  much 
more  work  than  is  usually  allotted  to  the  average  missionary.  In 
fact,  I  never  knew  his  equal  as  a  worker.  He  was  also  a  builder. 
The  term  might  be  used  in  a  literal  sense  when  we  remember 
the  many  structures  in  our  mission  fields  which  owe  their  ex- 
istence either  to  his  planning  or  to  his  actual  superintendence.  In 
a  broader  sense,  he  was  a  builder  of  churches  and  institutions 
which  will  live  for  many  long  years.  He  understood  not  only 
how  to  lay  foundations,  but  also  how  to  build  wisely  thereon. 
In  the  various  stages  of  our  organization  as  a  mission,  as  Con- 
ferences, and  finally  in  the  creation  of  our  great  central  Con- 
ference for  Southern  Asia — in  all  these  our  brother  bore  a  lead- 
ing part.  He  was  gifted  with  what  might  be  called  the  instinct 
of  organization.  In  short,  he  possessed  a  marvelous  combina- 
tion of  those  elements  which  are  needed  in  the  character  of 
a  practical  missionary.  He  could  personally  engage  himself, 
or  if  need  be  act  as  leader  of  others  in  nearly  every  form  of 
missionary  labor  known  in  our  great  Asiatic  fields. 

In  character,  our  brother  was  one  of  the  excellent  of  the 
earth.  He  was  generous  in  his  feelings  toward  others,  unselfish 
when  his  own  personal  interests  were  at  stake,  thoughtful  of 
the  welfare  of  those  around  him,  helpful  in  his  disposition  and 
ability  to  render  assistance  where  needed,  practical  in  all  his 
plans,  and  born  to  be  a  leader  in  every  good  word  and  work 
such  as  falls  to  the  lot  of  a  Christian  missionary. 

It  remains  to  notice  our  dear  brother's  character  as  a  dis- 
ciple of  our  divine  Leader  and  Commander.  Through  all  the 
long  years  of  his  missionary  career  he  ever  proved  himself 
worthy  of  the  noble  service  to  which  he  had  been  called.  His 
faith  was  steadfast,  his  devotion  supreme,  his  service  unselfish, 
his  love  of  the  brethren  unvarying,  his  habitual  outlook  checr- 
(21)  321 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

ful    and   hopeful,    and   his    consecration    thorough    and    always 
complete. 

My  personal  relation  to  our  dear  brother  Parker  from  the  day 
of  our  first  meeting  was  more  than  fraternal.  I  was  drawn  to 
him  by  a  special  affection  and  confidence  from  the  day  of  our 
first  meeting,  and  through  all  the  years  that  followed  the  bond 
which  united  us  constantly  grew  stronger.  I  never  had  an  in- 
terest which  I  could  not  have  committed  into  his  hands  without 
a  second's  hesitation,  feeling  sure  that  it  would  be  as  safe  with 
him  as  with  myself.  He  was  a  true  man  in  the  broadest  sense 
of  the  word,  as  well  as  a  true  Christian  in  the  more  ideal  sense 
in  which  we  often  employ  that  term.  I  rejoiced  greatly  when 
I  was  a  personal  witness  to  his  election  as  a  missionary  Bishop. 
I  had  been  deeply  and  even  bitterly  disappointed  when  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  failed  to  place  him  in  that  position  four  years 
earlier,  and  when  I  saw  him  at  last  clothed  with  this  responsi- 
bility, I  rejoiced  greatly  because  I  anticipated  great  results  from 
his  service  in  a  position  in  which  he  could  bring  greater  resources 
to  bear  upon  our  work.  In  all  my  past  years,  perhaps,  no  event 
has  seemed  more  mysterious  than  the  death  of  our  dear  brother 
just  as  he  was  standing  upon  the  threshold  of  what  seemed  to 
be  a  new  opportunity  to  glorify  his  Master  upon  the  wide  sphere 
covered  by  our  work  in  Southern  Asia.  Perhaps  I  might  ven- 
ture to  say  that  he  had  stood  in  a  closer  relation  to  me  for  more 
than  forty  years  than  any  other  missionary  in  the  wide  world. 
Memories  of  years  long  gone  by  come  flowing  into  my  mind  and 
heart  as  I  write  these  lines,  reviving  for  the  moment  sweet  as- 
sociations, and  yet  creating  emotions  of  unspeakable  sadness  as 
I  remember  that  I  can  no  more  see  him  on  earth,  and  especially 
that  I  cannot  join  him  again  upon  the  great  spiritual  battle  fields 
of  Southern  Asia.  I  praise  God  that  I  ever  met  him.  I  thank 
God  for  all  my  hallowed  associations  with  him  on  the  mission 
field,  and  I  look  forward  with  glad  anticipation  to  the  time  when 
I  shall  sit  down  with  him  in  our  Father's  house  above,  and  re- 
view all  the  long  years  of  our  pilgrimage  while  still  members 
of  the  Church  militant.  May  God  make  us  all  worthy  of  the 
honor  of  having  been  associated  with  one  upon  whom  God  has 
put  so  marked  a  distinction  as  a  leader  in  the  missionary  host 

in  India. 

322 


APPENDIX 

BISHOP  Foss's  LETTER 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA.,  Dec.  6,  1901. 

To  all  in  India  and  Malaysia  who  mourn  Bishop  E.  W.  Parker, 
and  especially  to  the  North  India  Conference: 

DEARLY  BELOVED  BRETHREN  AND  SISTERS:  Permit  me  to  tender 
you  the  assurance  of  my  deep  sympathy  in  your  very  sore  be- 
reavement in  the  loss  of  Bishop  Parker,  which  I  also  feel  as  a 
personal  affliction. 

I  had  known  and  highly  respected  him  for  many  years  before 
my  visit  to  India.  During  that  visit  it  was  my  good  fortune  to 
be  much  in  his  company,  and  to  have  abundant  opportunity  to 
observe  his  relations  to  his  own  Conference  and  to  the  Central 
Conference,  and  the  high  intelligence  and  consecrated  spirit 
which  characterized  all  his  work.  This  enabled  me,  in  some  de- 
gree, to  appreciate  the  very  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  mani- 
festly held  by  you  all. 

I  rejoiced  in  his  election  to  the  Episcopacy;  and  at  his  conse- 
cration I  had  the  privilege  of  giving  him  the  solemn  Charge 
of  the  Consecration  Service,  and  of  assisting  in  the  laying  on  of 
hands.  Of  course  I  cordially  joined  in  the  frequently  uttered 
hope  that  his  two  score  years  of  strenuous  and  successful  labor 
as  a  missionary  might  be  crowned  by  at  least  a  half  a  score  of 
years  of  still  more  widely  useful  labor  as  a  Bishop. 

I  think  of  our  dear  departed  friend  as  a  stalwart  man,  a  gen- 
uine brother,  a  tireless  worker,  an  earnest  evangelist,  a  sagacious 
administrator,  a  wise  counselor,  a  patient  sufferer,  and  a  crowned 
conqueror. 

Please  tender  to  Mrs.  Parker  my  sincere  condolence  in  her 
temporary  loss,  and  my  high  congratulation  on  her  eternal  union 
with  such  a  noble  soul. 

God  bless  India,  which  he  loved  so  well,  and  make  its  deserts 
of  heathenism  to  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  Your  hearts 
are  sad,  and  so  is  mine,  because  a  too  laggard  Church  is  so 
slow  to  hear  the  trumpet  calls  of  Providence,  to  enter  doors  so 
wide  open,  and  to  reap  in  vast  fields  so  white  for  harvest.  But 
let  us  be  patient.  Christ's  solemn  "Go  ye"  will  soon  awaken 
legions  now  slumbering;  and  we  shall  see  that  Bishop  Parker 
and  Miss  Thoburn,  and  many  others  who,  having  toiled  with 
them,  are  now  resting  from  their  labors,  have  not  lived  in  vain, 
and  that  "their  works  do  follow  them." 

With  cordial  Christian  salutations,  I  remain, 

Most  truly  yours,        CYRUS  D.  Foss. 
323 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

AN  OLD  COMRADE'S  TRIBUTE 

75  OAK  HILL  AVENUE, 
DELAWARE,  O.,  U.  S.  A.,  Dec.  7,  1901. 

MY  DEAR  BROTHER  CORE:  Your  letter  received  a  week  or 
more  ago,  asks  that  I  write  a  few  words  appreciative  of  Bishop 
Parker,  to  be  read  in  the  memorial  service.  I  respond  willingly, 
though  I  cannot  say  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  do  so.  It  is  fitting 
that  one  who  has  known  Brother  Parker  for  more  than  forty- 
two  years,  who  has  been  intimately  associated  with  him  in  mis- 
sion work  for  nearly  all  that  time,  and,  when  distant  from,  has 
had  almost  uninterrupted  epistolary  correspondence  with  him, 
should  say  a  word  "appreciative."  I  have  no  other  kind  of  word 
to  say.  How  could  I  have  with  such  a  manly  man,  such  a  model 
Christian,  such  a  mission  worker,  such  a  leader,  guide,  friend,  and 
brother — before  my  mind — nay,  his  very  form  and  features  be- 
fore my  face  as  I  write !  His  very  face  was  one  which  once  seen 
was  never  to  be  forgotten,  or  mistaken  for  some  one  else.  We 
do  not  think  of  any  other  friend  or  fellow-worker  as  being 
Brother  Parker,  or  being  like  him — his  great  benign  counten- 
ance, illuminated  with  love,  and  an  earnest  Christian  anxiety  to 
do  some  good — to  help,  uplift,  benefit — whether  Christian,  Hindu, 
or  Mohammedan,  whether  native  or  foreign — all  saw  and  could 
not  help  seeing  in  him  a  friend  who  would  love  and  help  them 
if  they  would  only  let  him.  Through  all  his  years  he  carried 
that  great  open  countenance,  wreathed  with  benignity  and  love, 
asking  every  one  who  looked  into  it  if  he  might  not  help  or  do 
some  one  some  good.  That  face  and  manly  form  I  say  are  be- 
fore me  now.  Here  in  our  Delaware  home,  he  was  with  us  only 
a  little  more  than  a  year  ago.  With  Sister  Parker  he  made  us 
a  few  days'  visit  before  leaving  for  the  Far  East.  His  presence 
here  and  his  ministrations  were  a  blessing  to  us  all,  and  to  all 
who  met  or  heard  him.  We  had  no  thought  then  that  God  would 
take  him  so  soon.  (Why  not  take  some  of  the  rest  of  us  that 
could  better  be  spared?)  I  have  no  doubt  many  were  very  de- 
sirous that  his  life  might  be  spared  that  he  might  exercise  the 
high  office  to  which  he  had  been  called,  for  a  few  years  at  least — 
but  had  he  not  shown  by  his  work  and  administration  for  years 
just  what  he  could  be  and  do,  when  the  vows  of  a  Bishop  were 
upon  him?  I  think  we  all  knew,  for  no  Bishop  did  more,  or 
could  do  more  than  he  had  done  during  the  past  few  years, 
save  in  the  one  matter  of  laying  on  of  hands  in  ordina- 

324 


APPENDIX 

tion.  He  was  doubly  consecrated  to  the  office  and  work 
of  a  Bishop.  I  looked  into  his  face,  as  he  bowed  his  head  and 
the  hands  of  Bishops  Foss  and  Thoburn,  Brother  Mudge  and 
myself  were  laid  on  his  head,  and  I  felt  sure  I  saw  how  he  was 
not  only  receiving  the  disciplinary  form  of  Episcopal  consecra- 
tion, but  that  he  was  with  his  eyes  nearly  closed  and  quivering, 
consecrating  himself,  with  his  great  heart,  soul,  mind,  and 
strength,  to  the  high  duties  of  a  Christian  missionary  Bishop. 
It  was  a  solemn  hour,  a  memorable  scene,  on  that  Sunday  after- 
noon, in  the  great  Auditorium,  filled  with  thousands  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  General  Conference.  No  man  there  was  more 
humble,  more  devout,  more  entirely  consecrated  than  our  dear 
Brother  Parker.  I  was  sorry  Sister  Parker  could  not,  in  that 
great  crowd,  be  upon  the  platform,  and  see  as  the  few  of  us  near 
him  could. 

I  met  Brother  and  Sister  Parker  first  in  Boston,  when  we  at- 
tended the  New  England  Conference,  in  session  at  Lynn,  Mass., 
in  early  April,  1859.  We  sailed  together  for  India  on  the  i6th 
of  that  month;  in  our  company  were  other  devoted  souls,  Brother 
and  Sister  Judd,  Brother  and  Sister  Downey,  Brother  and  Sis- 
ter Parker,  Brother  Thoburn,  Lillie  Waugh,  and  myself.  We 
reached  Calcutta  on  the  21  st  of  the  following  August.  127  days 
around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  now  after  more  than  forty- 
two  years,  three  of  our  company  are  left,  and  only  one  will  be 
present  at  your  Conference  when  these  lines  will  be  read. 

I  have  been  reading  part  of  the  correspondence  between 
Brother  Parker  and  myself,  and  would  like  to  quote  from  it  (but 
cannot  here)  how  during  all  these  years  (for  I  have  letters  of 
every  year,  letters  written  on  the  date  of  our  arrival  in  India) 
Brother  Parker's  sole  thought  was  to  put  in  as  many  years  of 
earnest  work  for  the  blessed  Master  in  India  as  were  allotted. 
He  first  coveted  the  privilege  of  twenty-five  years,  then  thirty. 
then  forty,  and  he  had  really  set  out  for  another  ten  years,  when 
the  Master  called  him ! 

Blessed  man  !  Blessed  memory !  .  What  God  wrought  through 
him  is  known  to  you  all.  I  could  write  much,  but  need  say  no 
more.  My  heart  is  with  you.  Pray  for  us.  I  would  be  there  to 
join  in  this  service,  but  cannot  now.  God  bless  all  who  may  be 
present  at  your  memorial  service  for  my  dear  brother — a  great 
and  good  man. 

Your  brother,  as  ever, 

J.  W.  \V.\rnn. 
325 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

FROM  A.  B.  LEONARD,  D.D.,  SECRETARY  OF  THE  MISSIONARY 
SOCIETY 

Bishop  Parker  possessed  all  the  essential  qualities  of  a  suc- 
cessful minister  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  He  was  first  of  all 
called  of  God.  He  felt  in  the  depths  of  his  soul  "Woe  is  me  if 
I  preach  not  the  gospel."  Doubting  not  that  God  had  called  him, 
he  went  forth  as  God's  messenger.  No  man  should  enter  upon 
the  Christian  ministry  whom  God  does  not  call.  A  man  may  en- 
ter upon  any  other  profession  without  any  deep  conviction  that 
a  great  moral  obligation  impels  him,  but  not  upon  the  gospel 
ministry. 

Second.  He  was  well  equipped  for  his  work  by  careful  train- 
ing and  study.  He  was  a  man  of  wide  reading.  He  felt  that 
having  been  called  to  the  ministry,  he  must  prepare  himself  for 
his  great  life  work.  The  best  preparation  possible  should  be 
made  by  all  who  enter  the  sacred  office.  Time  spent  in  institu- 
tions of  learning  is  well  spent. 

Third.  He  was  wholly  consecrated  to  his  work.  All  his  pow- 
ers of  soul,  mind,  and  body  were  presented  to  the  Lord  a  living 
sacrifice.  During  the  whole  term  of  his  service  in  India  he  could 
say,  "This  one  thing  I  do."  He  did  not  divide  his  time  between 
the  secular  and  the  sacred.  He  vowed  to  devote  all  his  time  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  he  kept  his  vow.  In  this  regard, 
as  in  many  others,  he  may  well  be  held  as  an  ideal  minister  by 
all  our  brethren,  foreign  and  native,  in  India. 

Fourth.  He  was  wise  in  his  plans  and  methods.  His  words 
were  uttered  in  wisdom.  He  was  not  rash,  having  no  need 
to  apologize  for  or  explain  what  he  did.  His  words  and  his 
works  vindicated  his  wisdom.  Many  preachers  have  learning 
and  consecration,  but  they  lack  in  wisdom,  and  so  do  many 
things  that  bring  them  into  trouble,  but  this  could  not  be  said  of 
Bishop  Parker. 

Fifth.  He  was  heroic.  He  did  not  count  his  life  dear  unto 
himself.  There  was  no  burden  he  would  not  bear  or  danger  he 
would  not  brave  when  duty  called.  He  did  not  fail  to  declare 
the  whole  counsel  of  God,  even  when  men  were  displeased  or 
even  offended  by  his  utterances,  but  his  words  and  his  bearing 
were  always  prompted  by  love.  The  Christian  ministry  is  no 
place  for  a  time  server  or  a  coward.  Brave  men  who  fear  God, 
speak  the  truth  and  work  righteousness  are  needed  in  the  gospel 
ministry. 

Sixth.    He  was  patient.    In  him  patience  had  its  perfect  work. 

326 


APPENDIX 

He  knew  how  to  bear  with  the  weak  and  to  strengthen  them. 
Many  in  India  have  been  helped  by  his  patient  and  painstaking 
labors  to  enter  into  the  Christian  life,  and  they  have  been  steadied 
and  guided  by  his"  friendly  hand.  He  could  bear  with  the  infirmi- 
ties of  the  weak.  May  there  be  raised  up  many  ministers  of  his 
kind  in  India — ministers  who  are  called,  equipped,  consecrated, 
heroic,  wise,  and  patient. 


Memorial  Address 

DELIVERED  IN  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  DHARAMTALA 

STREET,  CALCUTTA,  BY  REV.  J.  E.  ROBINSON,  EDITOR 

OF  THE  "INDIAN  WITNESS" 

God's  best  gifts  to  our  sin-scarred  world  are  good  men.  To 
a  nation  he  can  give  nothing  better  than  men  of  lofty  ideals, 
unselfish  patriotism,  and  pure  life.  What  a  blessing  to  the  na- 
tions they  served  so  acceptably,  such  men  as  Cromwell,  Wash- 
ington, and  Lincoln ! 

God's  best  gifts  to  his  Church  are  ministers  and  missiona- 
ries of  Christ-like  spirit,  pastors  after  his  own  heart,  true 
under-shepherds  who  feed  the  flock  of  Christ,  who  seek  the  lost, 
who  relieve  the  suffering,  and  in  purity  of  life  and  sincerity  of 
purpose  seek  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Choicer  gift  in  all  respects  was  never  bestowed  by  hand  Divine 
upon  the  Methodism  of  India  during  its  half  century's  history 
than  Edwin  Wallace  Parker,  to  do  honor  to  whom  we  gather 
in  the  Lord's  house  this  evening.  There  have  been  missionaries 
of  our  Church  possessed  of  riper  culture  and  broader  scholar- 
ship; there  have  been  missionaries  who  in  one  or  other  particu- 
lar qualification  were  his  superiors.  But  I  risk  nothing  in  affirm- 
ing that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  never  commissioned 
a  missionary  to  represent  it  in  the  foreign  field  more  symmetric- 
ally endowed  by  nature  and  grace  for  the  most  effective  kind 
of  all-round  missionary  service.  I  deliberately  place  this  judg- 
ment on  record,  after  a  thoughtful  survey  of  the  history  of  our 
Church's  Missions,  and  after  careful  consideration  of  the  quali- 
fications of  others. 

Were  I  to  pause  to  compare  our  translated  friend  with  the 
great  and  good  missionaries  of  other  Churches  whose  names  arc 
famous  in  the  annals  of  Christian  service  in  this  land,  the  name 
of  Parker  would  not  suffer.  Carey  was  unquestionably  a  great 
biblical  scholar,  whose  work  of  translation  and  other  unique 
services  have  been  of  inestimable  value  to  the  Church  of  Christ 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

in  India.  Judson  was  illustrious  as  the  pioneer  of  a  new  and 
prosperous  Mission  in  Burma  and  as  a  great  personal  sufferer 
for  Christ  and  his  Gospel's  sake,  nor  will  his  translation  work 
ever  be  forgotten.  Duff  stands  as  the  foremost  missionary  edu- 
cator of  the  century,  whose  principles  and  methods  underlie  the 
whole  fabric  of  modern  Indian  education.  But  as  a  builder  in 
the  Church  of  God,  as  a  winner  of  souls,  as  an  organizer  of 
churches,  founder  of  new  stations  and  enterprises,  leader  in 
evangelistic  work  which  has  yielded  thousands  and  thousands  of 
converts  to  Christ,  brought  hundreds  of  families  into  the  Church, 
and  introduced  scores  of  native  ministers  into  the  ministry,  Dr. 
Parker  was  the  peer  of  any,  and  in  the  particular  respects  indi- 
cated, more  successful  than  any. 

Dr.  Parker's  services  to  his  Church  are  beyond  computation. 
His  sagacity,  forethought,  power  of  organization  and  manage- 
ment, warmth  of  feeling,  power  to  inspire  and  rule  others,  calm 
consideration  in  laying  his  plans,  vigor  and  determination  in 
executing  them — gave  him  an  unrivaled  place  in  the  work  of 
our  Methodist  Mission.  His  American  and  native  brethren  have 
expressed  their  sense  of  the  value  of  his  missionary  labors  in  the 
resolutions  adopted  after  the  Bishop's  death : 

His  labors  have  extended  to  all  the  districts  of  the  'North 
India  Conference.  His  duties  as  Presiding  Elder  for  a  long 
series  of  years  caused  him  to  tour  through  the  entire  field  of 
Oudh,  Rohilkhand,  and  to  some  extent  of  Kumaun  and  Garhwal. 
He  has  really  been  identified  with  the  laying  of  the  foundation 
of  our  Church  in  all  Northern  India.  All  the  institutions  of 
the  Church  without  exception  in  this  field  have  felt  his  guiding 
hand  and  been  benefited  by  his  wise  counsels. 

Bishop  Parker  was  a  man  of  one  work,  and  to  that  all  his 
time  was  conscientiously  devoted,  namely,  the  upbuilding  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  this  heathen  land.  Numerous  church  and 
school  buildings,  large  and  small,  in  cities  and  in  country  places 
were  reprojected  and  carried  to  completion  under  his  superin- 
tendence. His  efficiency  never  waned,  although  his  years  in- 
creased, and  he  was  called  to  his  reward  in  the  sixty-ninth  year 
of  his  age.  A  large  number  of  our  native  preachers  had  been 
trained  by  him  from  youth  to  manhood,  and  ultimately  inducted 
into  signally  useful  service  as  ministers  of  the  Church.  In  his 
death  they  deeply  feel  his  loss,  for  he  was  to  them  a  true  father 
in  Christ. 

Whether  in  the  General  Conference  in  America,  of  which  he 
was  frequently  a  member,  or  in  the  Central  or  Annual  Confer- 

328 


APPENDIX 

ences  in  India,  his  position  was  always  a  prominent  one,  because 
of  the  high  value  placed  upon  his  wide  experience  and  faithful 
service.  On  account  of  his  unusual  financial  and  administrative 
ability  his  advice  has  always  been  considered  invaluable,  and  we 
shall  sadly  miss  his  counsels. 

Bishop  Parker  was  a  holy  man  of  spotless  character.  He  was 
tender  and  gentle.  He  could  be  stern  and  severe  when  it  was 
necessary  so  to  be. 

We  know  nothing  he  did  not  sacrifice  for  the  Church  in  India. 
Whatever  limited  means  he  possessed,  all  his  time  and  talents 
were  literally  spent,  as  was  his  life  itself,  for  this  object.  This 
was  the  spontaneous  testimony  of  those  most  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  him — some  of  them  having  been  his  Conference  col- 
leagues for  forty  years.  The  good  man  had  good  report  of  his 
brethren — and  there  is  nothing  more  precious  to  a  Methodist 
preacher  than  this — and  was  also  held  in  repute  by  "them  that 
are  without." 

His  magnificent  physique,  equal  to  the  hardest  experiences  of 
missionary  toil,  gave  him  an  initial  advantage  over  many,  and 
this  he  utilized  to  the  full.  His  sound  judgment  on  all  mis- 
sionary questions  gave  him  a  recognized  foremost  place  in  the 
counsels  of  his  Church.  His  wise  generalship  in  the  conduct  of 
evangelistic  campaigns  and  the  great  gatherings  of  native  Chris- 
tians which  he  was  among  the  first  to  institute  constituted  an 
acknowledged  claim  to  leadership  which  all  his  brethren  gladly 
conceded.  In  every  department  of  missionary  activity — in  evan- 
gelistic work,  in  educational  work,  in  pastoral  work,  in  financial 
administration — he  easily  took  place  in  the  front  rank. 

But  these  great  abilities  and  varied  talents  which  Dr.  Parker 
possessed  would  have  been  of  comparatively  little  worth  in  the 
mission  field  had  they  not  been  backed  up  and  glorified  by  a 
spirit  of  deep  and  thorough  consecration  to  God.  To  my  mind 
this  was  the  conspicuous,  the  crowning  feature  of  his  missionary 
career.  He  was  wholly  given  up  to  the  service  of  Christ  and 
the  Church.  The  passion  of  his  life  was  to  promote  the  cause  of 
God.  His  highest  ambition  unquestionably  was  to  advance  the 
interests  of  the  kingdom  of  God  among  the  people  of  this  land. 
He  had  no  ulterior  ends.  There  were  no  by-paths  into  which  he 
could  be  lured.  Like  the  great  missionary  apostle  of  old,  Dr. 
Parker  could  say,  "This  one  thing  I  do."  In  doing  this  he  was 
willing  to  spend  and  to  be  spent.  He  lived  and  moved  and  had 
his  being  in  the  work  of  God,  and  everything  to  which  he  could 
be  induced  to  turn  his  hand  was  only  taken  up  that  it  might  be 

329 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

laid  under  tribute  to  serve  the  cause  he  loved  so  well,  and  for 
which  he  was  willing  to  lay  down  his  life. 

On  such  an  occasion  as  this  it  would  be  unadvisable  to  spend 
too  much  time  in  dwelling  upon  the  virtues  and  abilities  of  our 
deceased  leader.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  of  more  importance 
to  my  hearers,  and  more  likely  to  be  useful  to  them,  if  the  re- 
maining time  should  be  spent  in  ascertaining  the  secret  of  his 
power  and  usefulness.  How  came  this  man  of  humble  parentage 
and  ordinary  social  position  to  occupy  such  an  honorable  and 
useful  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  Church's  chief  workers,  and  to 
serve  his  generation  so  acceptably? 

1.  First  of  all,  he  was  well-born.     The  offspring  of  God-fear- 
ing, upright,  temperate  people  have  a  tremendous  advantage  over 
those  who  first  see  the  light  in  ungodly  homes  and  spend  their 
early  youth  in  a  worldly,  immoral  environment.     From  his  birth 
young  Parker  breathed  an  atmosphere  of  piety,  inspired  by  the 
best  example  in  his  own  home.     And  though  he  did  not  enter 
upon  the  Christian  life  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  his 
mind  was  so  saturated  with  Christian  ideals,  and  religious  truth 
had  entered  so  fully  into  every  fiber  of  his  being,  that  he  was 
ready  to  take  his  place  at  once  as  a  disciple  prepared  to  serve 
with  all  his  ransomed  powers,  fortified  by  all  he  had  seen  and 
heard  and  gathered  up  into  his  intellectual  and  moral  nature  in 
a  godly  home. 

2.  This  leads  us  to  emphasize  another  important  factor  in  his 
history.     Young  Parker's  conversion  was  clear  and  definite.     To 
my  mind,  this  is  of  great  importance  in  one's  religious  career.    If 
the  seeker  after  God  does  not  come  to  the  enjoyment  of  conscious 
acceptance  with  God — if  he  does  not  lay  hold  fully  by  faith  and 
obtain  the  witness  of  his  adoption  into  the  family  of  God — his 
Christian  experience  will  always  be  unsatisfactory.    He  will  lack 
the  strength  and  courage  which  the  joy  of  the  Lord  brings.    The 
atmosphere  by  which  he  is  encompassed  will  be  one  of  doubt  and 
uncertainty.     No   man   can  live  a  victorious   spiritual   life,   nor 
can  he  do  his  best  work  in  the  world,  if  he  is  uncertain  as  to  his 
relation  to  God.    Fortunately,  young  Parker  so  fully  surrendered 
himself  to  God,  in  separation  from  the  world  and  devotement  of 
his  whole  being  to  his  Saviour,  that  it  was  possible  for  God  to 
save  him  through  and  through,  and  to  start  him  out  on  the  road 
to  heaven  with  the  glad  and  strengthening  assurance  in  his  heart 
that  his  sins,  which  were  many,  had  all  been  forgiven,  and  that 
he  had  truly  become  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.     In  all  his 
after  life  it  meant  a  great  deal  to  him,  both  as  a  Christian  dis- 

330 


APPENDIX 

ciple  and  as  a  missionary  of  the  Gospel,  that  he  knew  himself 
to  be  a  child  of  God  and  an  heir  of  glory.  The  meridian  evi- 
dence of  his  conversion  which  he  enjoyed  was  not  only  an  in- 
spiration and  unspeakable  comfort  to  himself,  it  enabled  him  to 
be  a  successful  teacher  and  guide  of  others. 

3.  As  a  natural  corollary  to  such  a  conversion  as  I  have  de- 
scribed,  his  life  was  marked  by  unswerving  obedience   to   the 
voice  of  God.     It  would  be  out  of  place  to  affirm  that  no  diso- 
bedience ever  marred  his  religious  life.     But  it  was  most  mani- 
fest in  Dr.  Parker's  life  that  he  was  governed  by  a  general  spirit 
of  obedience  to  what  he  believed  was  God's  will  and  purpose 
concerning   him.     This    was    illustrated   by    the    readiness    with 
which,  soon  after  his  conversion,  he  yielded  to  the  call  to  for- 
sake all  worldly  ambitions  and  devote  himself  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry.     Later,  when  the  providential  call  to  leave  home 
and  kindred,  and  engage  in  foreign  missionary  service  came,  it 
found  him  ready.     This  obedient  attitude  characterized  him  all 
through  life. 

4.  His  life  was  characterised  by  a  most  practical  consecration. 
There  is  a  dreamy  type  of  consecration,  pervaded  largely  by  the 
spirit  of  unpractical  mysticism,  with  which  Dr.   Parker  had  no 
sympathy.     But  all  who  knew  him  would  cheerfully  agree  that 
his  was  a  life  of  truest  practical   consecration   to   the  highest 
ideals.     He  lived  for  his  Redeemer,  and  for  the  work  to  which 
his  Redeemer  had  called  him.     He  had  no  greater  joy  than  to 
see   the   poor   idolaters   among   whom   he   labored   so   faithfully 
coming  into  the  kingdom  of  God  and  developing   in   Christian 
life.     To  the  work  of  building  up  the  native  Church  he  strenu- 
ously devoted  his  best  powers.    The  needs  of  the  poor,  ignorant 
ones  *who  had  but  recently  emerged  from  the  gloomy  depths  of 
superstition  and   idolatry   lay   close   to  his  heart.     His  highest 
ambition  was  to  promote  their  spiritual  and  temporal   welfare. 
It  may  be  truthfully  said  that,  to  accomplish  this,  there  was  no 
sacrifice  he  was  not  prepared  to  make,  no  duty  he  was  unwilling 
to  perform. 

Bishop  Parker  loved  India  and  its  people  with  a  love  born  of 
the  indwelling  Christ  who  inspired  him.  No  man  better  knew 
the  failings  and  defects  of  poor  people  for  whose  salvation  he 
wrought.  But  these  very  failings  and  weaknesses  constituted 
the  most  powerful  plea  that  could  present  itself  to  his  mind.  He 
knew  what  the  Gospel  was  able  to  do  for  the  disadvantaged  peo- 
ple, and  realized  the  possibilities  opened  to  them  through  the 
grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  To  the  very  last  his  thought  was  for 

331 


LIFE  OF  BISHOP  PARKER 

the  needy,  for  whose  instruction  and  help  he  would  gladly  have 
lived  on.  But  it  was  not  to  be.  For  forty  and  two  years  his 
best  energies  had  been  unselfishly  and  unceasingly  devoted  to 
the  people  of  this  land.  When  the  summons  to  "come  up  higher" 
reached  him  it  found  him  prepared  for  the  great  ordeal. 

He  fell  asleep  in  Christ  his  Lord; 

He  gave  to  him  to  keep 
The  soul  his  great  love  had  redeemed, 

Then  calmly  went  to  sleep. 

And  as  a  tired  bird  folds  its  wing, 

Sure  of  the  morning  light; 
He  laid  him  down  in  trusting  faith, 

And  dreaded  not  the  night. 

In  an  article  published  in  the  Indian  Witness  I  found  occa- 
sion to  speak  of  our  translated  Bishop  as  "our  Methodist  Great- 
heart."  The  term  seems  beautifully  appropriate  to  the  great  and 
good  man  who  has  been  taken  from  us.  No  character  in  Bun- 
yan's  immortal  allegory  appeals  to  me  more  powerfully  than 
Greatheart.  It  is  an  exquisite  conception  of  the  Dreamer  of 
Bedford  Jail — the  conception  of  a  man  fully  devoted  to  the 
service  of  his  Lord  in  behalf  of  his  fellows. 

My  heart  was  warmed  this  afternoon  as  I  refreshed  my  mem- 
ory respecting  Greatheart  by  turning  to  his  portraiture  in  Pil- 
grim's Progress.  The  more  I  read  the  more  appropriate  did  my 
application  of  the  term  Greatheart  to  the  beloved  missionary 
leader  who  has  gone  home  seem  to  be.  Greatheart,  as  you  will 
remember,  was  the  Interpreter's  armed  servant!  His  chief  em- 
ployment at  the  Interpreter's  command  was  to  convoy  pilgrims 
to  the  House  Beautiful,  over  the  Delectable  Mountains,  and 
down  to  the  brimming  waters  of  the  river  that  divides  the 
heavenly  land  from  ours!  In  rendering  this  service  to  many  a 
pilgrim,  and  many  a  company  of  pilgrims,  Greatheart  encoun- 
tered numerous  difficulties.  But  the  work  to  him  was  inex- 
pressibly sweet.  It  was  his  meat  and  drink.  Neither  lions  nor 
giants,  nor  the  reproaches  of  evil  men,  nor  the  fear  and  weak- 
nesses of  the  pilgrims  themselves,  discouraged  him.  Sometimes 
Greatheart  vacillated  just  for  a  moment  when  he  came  near  to 
heaven  and  felt  its  magnificent  and  almost  dissolving  attractions 
full  in  his  soul.  He  wavered  between  rest  and  labor,  between 
conflict  and  peace,  between  "Christ"  and  his  service  on  earth 
and  "Christ"  and  his  glory  in  heaven. 

332 


APPENDIX 

On  his  sick  bed,  which  proved  to  be  his  dying  bed,  Bishop 
Parker  had  a  vision  of  his  Saviour  and  the  celestial  city,  for  the 
one  part,  and  of  needy  multitudes  requiring  instruction  and  guid- 
ance, for  the  other.  To  depart  and  be  with  Christ  would  have 
been  to  him  "better;"  but  most  joyfully  was  he  ready  and  will- 
ing to  abide  in  the  flesh  for  those  who  needed  him.  After  weeks 
of  suffering,  the  Master  gave  the  signal,  "It  is  enough,"  and  our 
Methodist  Greatheart 

Gave  his  body  to  this  pleasant  country's  earth, 
And  his  pure  soul  unto  his  Captain,  Christ, 
Under  whose  banner  he  had  fought  so  long. 

Lines  Written  on  the  Death  of  Bishop  Parker 

The  following  lines,  written  on  the  death  of  Bishop  Parker  by 
J.  Gordon  Kennedy,  of  Calcutta,  may  well  conclude  our  record : 

"Mingle  his  dust  with  hers !  No  other  land 
Shall  fold  in  her  embrace  his  form  of  clay. 

Scarce  did  he  deem  the  soil  a  foreign  strand 
Wherein  his  bones  we  lay. 

"For  two  score  years  his  best,  his  all,  he  wrought 

Into  the  texture  of  her  common  life; 
His   Father's  glory — it  alone — he   sought 

Through  all  his  earthly  strife. 

"Though  hid  from  us  the  pattern,  yet  we  know 

His  faithful  hand  will  answer  to  the  call 
When  the  Great  Judge  shall  final  praise  bestow 

Upon  his  servants  all. 

"How  glorious  then  shall  be  the  vast  design 
Which  by  the  Spirit's  guidance  men  did  weave — 

Each  his  own  part!     And   there  perchance  shall  thine 
Some  meed  of  praise  receive. 

"What  art  thou  weaving  in  the  loom  of  Time? 

Say,  brother!     Is  it  God's  eternal  plan? 
Blessed  art  thou  if  pattern  so  sublime 

The  Judge  s  eyes  shall  scan. 

******* 

"Lay  him  to  rest  whose  labors  now  are  o'er; 

Whose  spirit  now  has  passed  beyond  the  bourne; 
With  saints  he  waits  upon  the  farther  shore 

The  Resurrection  Morn." 
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